OWINGS MILLS, Md. – Tommy Fleetwood insists the close calls are good for him. That there are positives to take from the heartbreaks, experience to be gained and great golf to be proud of.

It’s largely been met with a collective shrug as Fleetwood licked his wounds from his latest disappointment and the golf world began questioning whether he was getting closer or further from that elusive win No. 1.

But after 18 holes of the BMW Championship, it seems Fleetwood is ready to do it all over again, hoping the end result will be different. There’s a long way left to go, but Fleetwood showed his resolve over his opening round at Caves Valley, shooting 5-under 65 to put himself in contention once again. He admitted he was disappointed in the aftermath of his FedEx St. Jude Championship loss, but Thursday was an affirmation that he’s not defeated. He sits in solo second, trailing Robert MacIntyre by three shots.

“I said it at Travelers, said it last week, best possible scenario for me is I get myself back into contention and I give myself a chance again,” Fleetwood said Thursday. “I'll keep learning, keep trying to put myself up there. That's all I want to do, really. Today was a great start to that, but it's only one round.”

Fleetwood’s search for his first PGA TOUR win has become one of the most compelling stories going in golf. He nearly did it at the Travelers Championship, undone by a three-putt at the final hole and a Keegan Bradley birdie barrage. Fleetwood led by two shots with three to play last week in Memphis, but withered with a par on the easy par-5 16th and a bogey on the 17th, while his playing partner Justin Rose soared into the picture and eventually toppled J.J. Spaun in a playoff.

The 34-year-old Englishman has made 161 PGA TOUR starts without a win. He has six runner-up finishes, six third-place finishes, 29 top-fives and 42 top-10s. He has eight wins worldwide, but none on American soil. Those 29 top fives are the most by any active player without a win.

It would have been natural for Fleetwood to carry a hangover into this week. After his close call at the Travelers, Fleetwood took three weeks off and still struggled in his return. His first round at Caves Valley came just four days after the win in Memphis slipped through his fingers.

What can’t be argued, and what’s been lost in the deafening discourse surrounding Fleetwood’s search for his first TOUR win, is the underlying context that Fleetwood is playing more consistently than at any point in his career. The Englishman is third in scoring average on TOUR, behind only Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy. He ranks third in Strokes Gained: Total and ninth in SG: Approach, both career bests. He’s finished in the top-25 in over 75 percent of his starts.

He displayed that consistency, going bogey-free on Thursday at Caves Valley, one of only two all day. He grabbed his first birdie at the par-3 third, sticking his tee shot inside 4 feet. He added another at the par-4 seventh after another flagged approach. He made back-to-back birdies at the 11th and 12th coming out of a two-hour rain delay, then poured in a bonus birdie on the 18th, sinking a 34-footer to close his round.

“But I just want to keep trying my hardest and playing good golf,” Fleetwood said. “I've been a pro for — I don't know how long. I'm not going to do the math. But I've had my fair share of playing rubbish. I've spent weeks playing terrible. So playing well and being in contention is a privilege. You've got to enjoy those times. So while I'm playing well, I'm kind of enjoying it as well.”