Tommy Fleetwood is wrapping up a memorable season in which he won his first PGA Tour event, his eighth on the DP World Tour, and his third Ryder Cup. It has been an extraordinary display of consistency, which has propelled him to world No. 5.

It’s no secret that Fleetwood is one of the most consistent players in the world. However, at this point, many are wondering how far he can go in his career, whether that means winning a major championship or continuing to climb the world rankings.

The Englishman is undoubtedly a fan favorite on both sides of the Atlantic, and fans would surely celebrate wildly if any of these things happened. However, not everyone is so clear about Fleetwood’s real chances of proving that his best golf is yet to come.

Renowned former PGA Tour pro and current broadcaster and golf commentator Smylie Kaufman is among those who see Fleetwood reaching higher statuses in the golf world. According to Kaufman, he is less likely to displace Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy any time soon, but that world No. 3 — he’s currently behind Xander Schauffele and Russell Henley — is absolutely on the table.

“I think Tommy is definitely in that next tier of guys who, I think, have the capability to win major championships, win signature events, potentially can play their way into being solidified third player in the world from a world ranking standpoint,” Kaufman said recently, according to Golf Magic.

“I think everybody has work to do to chase down, obviously Scottie’s got a three-touchdown lead, but maybe if Rory were to have an off year, to become the second-best player in the world. Tommy’s definitely in that category for certain, for how he’s played,” he added.

Kaufman also identified the area of ​​Fleetwood’s game that he believes keeps him from being able to challenge Scheffler and McIlroy.

“I’m not ready to pronounce that he’s in this big three category. I hate to use age as a reason why. His consistency, for certain, the way he hits the golf ball, the feeling that he has no weaknesses. I will say that, yes, he does hit it fairly far, but is he gaining strokes off the tee like Scottie and Rory do with their length? Over the course of an entire year, I still feel like that’s such an important stat,” Kaufman said, according to Golf Magic.

“I know he hits a lot of fairways, but the more distance he can pick up, the better it will be for Tommy because I think to be the best player in the world, you can’t be just a little bit above average when it comes to distance off the tee,” he added.

Kaufman has a point. Fleetwood finished the PGA Tour season ranked 48th in strokes gained off the tee, with a mark of 0.242. Scheffler led the category at 0.748, followed by McIlroy at 0.671.