Tommy Fleetwood looks to ensure he can win more, starting with live Hero Dubai Desert Classic sky sports Starting Thursday.

Fleetwood had a phenomenal year in 2024, finishing in the top 10 in the world rankings and winning the Dubai Championship, but he was often touted as a player who was nowhere near a major win.

Indeed, the Englishman realizes that he needs greater consistency over the course of the year to be able to integrate himself into the game on the final day, a trait he believes makes Rory McIlroy what he is. Such a “great” winner.

“Yeah, winning is hard. There’s a lot of things you can think about that could lead to more wins, but I think, you know, at the end of the day, just be as consistent as possible and put yourself in those positions as much as possible,” Fleetwood said .

“I think one of the greatest winners of our generation, if not the greatest winner, is Rory (McIlroy).

“Rory always puts himself in situations like this and wins a lot because of it. I love watching the best players and their level of consistency and I know you’ll see someone like Scotty Scheffler The guy and his season, it’s ridiculous, of course.

“But just looking at guys that put themselves in contention all the time and then deal with those situations and then pick plays as they go, I think that’s the kind of player I want to be.

McIlroy has won the Hero Dubai Desert Classic more times than any other player, with last year’s win being his fourth title. This week he has the chance to extend his record and become the first player to lift the Dara Trophy.

The Northern Irishman has never finished in the top 10 in nine appearances at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic since winning in 2009 and claiming his first DP World Tour title. Here he became the event’s youngest winner, finishing sixth a year later, 10th in 2011, fifth in 2012, ninth in 2014 and then by three strokes in 2015 win.

Now, Fleetwood is looking to channel McIlroy’s winning mentality as he attempts to pick up the trophy himself and start 2025 with a win in the first event of the DP World Tour Rolex Series.

“I want to continue to improve my all-around game and put myself in a position to win as much as possible and then ultimately win,” he continued.

“I think, certainly, like I said, any time you’re in contention, you can look at, oh, I could have done better, or I could have done better, or I hit a bad shot. It might be different there or there, but just continue to be consistent and put myself out there and hopefully as time goes on, I’ll get more and more time.”

Although Fleetwood calls Dubai home and has never missed the event in his career, he has only had two top-10 finishes at Emirates Golf Club.

In 2025, after 14 years of hard work, he hopes that will change with a win.

“Yeah, I love the look of this championship trophy, I’ve actually never played it, I’ve played it every year since my first year on tour. Always love coming back here. I absolutely love golf Pitch,” Fleetwood Extra.

“I just haven’t managed to put myself in a position to compete in this game yet, but I’m going to keep trying. I think everyone loves this time of year.

“I think everyone felt fresh at the start and had a very positive attitude. I think the course, like I said, was great and I think Dubai as a city, everyone enjoys coming back and they feel very familiar with the place , because it has played such a role in tourist life for many years.

“So, yeah, I looked at pictures of everybody holding trophies and always wanted to be a part of it, but I just wasn’t close enough.”

How can I watch the action?

sky sports Coverage of all four rounds of the Hero Dubai Desert Classic will be expanded, with featured groups live starting at 4am each day sky sports golf And place bonus actions before main actions.

With full coverage starting at 7.30am on Thursdays and Fridays and live from 7am on weekends, Sky Sports also shows all four rounds of the PGA Tour American Express and Latin American Amateur Championship. Stream DP world tour, professional events and more through NOW.