It was a great day on Sunday for TaylorMade, specifically its TP5x ball. 

Two players who use the ball, Tommy Fleetwood and Brooke Henderson, won tournaments on Sunday. 

Tommy Fleetwood celebrated his first win on the PGA Tour in 164 starts with a victory in the Tour Championship. 

Prior to that, Fleetwood had six runner-up finishes over the years on the PGA Tour. ESPN reported he had 30 top five finishes, the most of any golfer without a win over the last 100 years. He tied for second with Russell Henley (Titleist Pro V1x) in the Travelers Championship won by Keegan Bradley (Srixon Z-Star) about two months ago. 

It became almost painful watching Fleetwood, making mistakes that cost him a win. And yet, he always spoke to the media, as emotionally painful as it must have been. 

I remember the 2023 Canadian Open when he lost on the fourth playoff hole to Nick Taylor (Titleist Pro V1x), who sunk a 72-foot eagle putt. It was a huge moment for Taylor and all of Canada as he became the first Canadian to win the national championship in 69 years. Mass hysteria ensued, and yet there was Fleetwood, a footnote in a second-place finish. 

In his last two starts, he tied for third in the FedEx St. Jude Championship, the first leg of the FedExCup playoffs, followed by tying for fourth in the BMW Championship. So that’s why if there is such a thing as a popular victory, Fleetwood accomplished it against a formidable field.  

“I never really felt like it wouldn’t happen,” Fleetwood said afterward. “But there’s always doubt there.” 

For the win, he received $10 million. 

The win will have no bearing on PGA Tour Player of the Year, which will go to Scottie Scheffler (Titleist Pro V1), who tied for fourth and showed once again he is not a machine. He struggled with his putting and demonstrated frustration, something which has happened more than once this year, even though he did well. In the first five holes, he posted two double bogeys, though he rebounded with three birdies in three of the last four. He shot even-par on the final nine, opening with four consecutive pars, followed by a birdie, a double bogey, a birdie and two pars. 

Unlike in previous years, the tournament did not reward the players with the top FedExCup points. The often-criticized starting strokes format, used from 2019-2024, rewarded the top players based on points. The leader began at 10-under par, followed by the runner-up at eight-under and gradually declining. For a player such as Scheffler, the reigning champion, the advantage was simply too great for other players to overcome.  

By abandoning the format and going to stroke play for all four rounds, all players began even. In the end, the formula proved to be the right one. 

For Fleetwood, he has shed the title as the best player on the PGA Tour not to win a tournament. Too often we judge a professional player’s body of work based on winning a championship. So in Fleetwood’s case, he not only won a tournament for the first time on the PGA Tour, he also won a championship. 

Later in the day, Henderson won the CPKC Women’s Open – Canada’s national open – edging Minjee Lee (Callaway Chrome Tour X), who played with her in the final pairing. Lee finished one-shot behind. It came down to the final hole. She had a chance to tie Henderson, who missed her birdie putt, but her long-range birdie putt rolled a couple feet wide of the hole on the final hole. Though she made par, Henderson had an easy tap-in for the win, her 14th on the LPGA Tour. 

Lee was not only battling Henderson, but her opponent’s Brooke Brigade, who were evident throughout the course with signs and clothing wear showing their support. But similar to Fleetwood two years ago, the Canadian crowd was also appreciative of Lee. 

Henderson had been winless on the LPGA Tour for more than for two years and admitted she had gone into some dark places in frustration but was able to persevere thanks to the support of family, friends and her many fans. 

Henderson won the event for the second time. Her first one came in 2018, the first Canadian to do in 45 years. 

She made an eagle pitching out of the bunker on the 17th hole the day before. That shot may have been her best of the week. It certainly allowed her to finish among the top two after the round. 

Fleetwood and Henderson are connected in various ways, and it all came together this past Sunday, giving TaylorMade reason to celebrate.