Matthew Thomas Fitzpatrick (born 1 September 1994) is an English professional golfer. After winning the 2013 U.S. Amateur, he later won his first professional tournament at the 2015 British Masters. In 2022 he won his first major championship at the U.S. Open.[2] In 2023, he won the RBC Heritage at Harbour Town Golf Links, his second PGA Tour victory.
| Matt Fitzpatrick | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Fitzpatrick in 2014 | |||
| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Matthew Thomas Fitzpatrick | ||
| Born | 1 September 1994 Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||
| Weight | 155 lb (70 kg; 11.1 st) | ||
| Sporting nationality |  England | ||
| Residence | Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England Jupiter, Florida, U.S. | ||
| Career | |||
| College | Northwestern University | ||
| Turned professional | 2014 | ||
| Current tour(s) | European Tour PGA Tour | ||
| Former tour(s) | Challenge Tour | ||
| Professional wins | 10 | ||
| Highest ranking | 6 (23 April 2023)[1] (as of 24 November 2024) | ||
| Number of wins by tour | |||
| PGA Tour | 2 | ||
| European Tour | 9 | ||
| Asian Tour | 1 | ||
| Best results in major championships (wins: 1) | |||
| Masters Tournament | T7: 2016 | ||
| PGA Championship | T5: 2022 | ||
| U.S. Open | Won: 2022 | ||
| The Open Championship | T20: 2019 | ||
| Achievements and awards | |||
| |||
Early life
editFitzpatrick was born in Sheffield and attended Tapton School where he sat A-levels in 2013.[3] He is a keen football fan and a lifelong supporter of local club Sheffield United.[4] His younger brother Alex played college golf at Wake Forest University in North Carolina. Alex played in the 2019 and 2021 Walker Cup and turned professional in 2022.[5]
Amateur career
editFitzpatrick won the 2012 Boys Amateur Championship at Notts Golf Club (Hollinwell). He made the cut at the 2013 Open Championship and finished as low amateur, winning The Silver Medal.[6] Fitzpatrick and Jimmy Mullen were the only amateurs to make the cut, with Fitzpatrick finishing on 294 to Mullen's 299.[7] Later in 2013, Fitzpatrick won the U.S. Amateur, which earned him invitations to the 2014 Masters Tournament, U.S. Open, and Open Championship provided he remained an amateur.[8] The U.S. Amateur win took him to the top of the World Amateur Golf Ranking[9] which earned him the Mark H. McCormack Medal.[10] In September 2013 he played in the Walker Cup.
In September 2013 Fitzpatrick enrolled at Northwestern University to play college golf with the Northwestern Wildcats;[11] however he left after one quarter, in January 2014, to pursue a full-time amateur golf career.[12] He played in five tournaments for Northwestern in the autumn of 2013. He was the co-champion of the Rod Myers Invitational at Duke University to lead Northwestern to the team title, and also recorded a third place finish at the Windon Memorial Classic to help Northwestern win the tournament. He recorded finishes of 53rd, 23rd, and 15th in his other three tournaments.[13]
Professional career
editFitzpatrick turned professional after the 2014 U.S. Open,[14] forfeiting his exemption to the 2014 Open Championship.[15] His professional debut was at the 2014 Irish Open, after which he played several competitions on the European Tour and Challenge Tour on sponsor and tournament invitations.
In November 2014, Fitzpatrick entered the 2014 European Tour Qualifying School[16] where he finished in 11th place and qualified for the 2015 European Tour.
Fitzpatrick started the 2015 season missing six cuts in the first eight competitions on the season; in June, he registered a third place at the Lyoness Open quickly followed, in July 2015, by second place at the Omega European Masters a shot behind Danny Willett, winning the second prize of €300,000. His maiden victory came in October 2015, when he won the British Masters at Woburn, winning the first prize of £500,000 (€671,550). After this result, he entered the world top 100 for the first time with a ranking of 59. He finished his rookie season on tour with one win, nine top-10 placements, and a 12th place in the final Order of Merit.
In April 2016, Fitzpatrick competed at the 2016 Masters Tournament, finishing tied for the 7th place; in June, he won the 2016 Nordea Masters and reached the 32nd place in the Official World Golf Ranking, his best position to date. Due to his results on the 2015 and 2016 seasons of the European Tour he obtained an automatic selection for the 2016 Ryder Cup.
In November 2016, Fitzpatrick won the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai by one shot over Tyrrell Hatton, for the third win of his career.[17]
In September 2017, Fitzpatrick won the Omega European Masters in Crans-Montana, Switzerland via a playoff victory over Scott Hend and in September 2018, Fitzpatrick successfully defended his European Masters title in a playoff over Lucas Bjerregaard.
In December 2020, Fitzpatrick won his second DP World Tour Championship, Dubai, beating eventual Race to Dubai champion, Lee Westwood by one shot. The win also marked his first Rolex Series title.[18]
In September 2021, Fitzpatrick played on the European team in the 2021 Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wisconsin. The U.S. team won 19–9 and Fitzpatrick went 0–3–0 including a loss in his Sunday singles match against Daniel Berger. Three weeks later, Fitzpatrick won the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters at Real Club Valderrama.[19]
2022: Major victory
editIn June 2022, he won his first major championship at the U.S. Open, with a one-shot victory at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts – the same venue where he won the U.S. Amateur in 2013. He joined Jack Nicklaus as the second male golfer to win a U.S Open and a U.S. Amateur title at the same venue.[20] In September, he was defeated in a playoff at the DS Automobiles Italian Open by Robert MacIntyre.[21]
2023
edit
In April 2023, Fitzpatrick won the RBC Heritage, defeating Jordan Spieth in a playoff. Fitzpatrick won on the third playoff hole after hitting his approach shot to within one foot to set up the winning birdie.[22]
In September 2023, Fitzpatrick played on the European team in the 2023 Ryder Cup at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Guidonia, Rome, Italy. The European team won 16.5–11.5 and Fitzpatrick went 1–2–0 including a loss in his Sunday singles match against Max Homa.
In October 2023, Fitzpatrick won the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship with a final round 66 on the Old Course at St. Andrews. Fitpatrick also won the pro-am component of the event, his partner was his mother Susan. The event finished on Monday and was shortened to 54 holes due to inclement weather.[23]
Personal life
editFitzpatrick appeared in the sports documentary series Full Swing, which premiered on Netflix on 15 February 2023.[24]
Amateur wins
edit- 2012 Boys Amateur Championship
- 2013 U.S. Amateur
Professional wins (10)
editPGA Tour wins (2)
edit| Legend |
|---|
| Major championships (1) |
| Designated events (1) |
| Other PGA Tour (0) |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 19 Jun 2022 | U.S. Open | −6 (68-70-68-68=274) | 1 stroke |  Scottie Scheffler, Will Zalatoris
|
| 2 | 16 Apr 2023 | RBC Heritage | −17 (66-70-63-68=267) | Playoff | Jordan Spieth
|
PGA Tour playoff record (1–0)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2023 | RBC Heritage | Jordan Spieth
|
Won with birdie on third extra hole |
European Tour wins (9)
edit| Legend |
|---|
| Major championships (1) |
| Tour C'ships/Race to Dubai finals series (2) |
| Rolex Series (1)[a] |
| Other European Tour (6) |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 Oct 2015 | British Masters | −15 (64-69-68-68=269) | 2 strokes |  Søren Kjeldsen,  Shane Lowry, Fabrizio Zanotti
|
| 2 | 5 Jun 2016 | Nordea Masters | −16 (68-65-68-71=272) | 3 strokes | Lasse Jensen
|
| 3 | 20 Nov 2016 | DP World Tour Championship, Dubai | −17 (69-69-66-67=271) | 1 stroke | Tyrrell Hatton
|
| 4 | 10 Sep 2017 | Omega European Masters1 | −14 (67-65-70-64=266) | Playoff |  Scott Hend
|
| 5 | 9 Sep 2018 | Omega European Masters (2) | −17 (69-64-63-67=263) | Playoff | Lucas Bjerregaard
|
| 6 | 13 Dec 2020 | DP World Tour Championship, Dubai (2) | −15 (68-68-69-68=273) | 1 stroke | Lee Westwood
|
| 7 | 17 Oct 2021 | Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters | −6 (71-68-70-69=278) | 3 strokes | Min Woo Lee,  Sebastian Söderberg
|
| 8 | 19 Jun 2022 | U.S. Open | −6 (68-70-68-68=274) | 1 stroke | Scottie Scheffler, Will Zalatoris
|
| 9 | 9 Oct 2023 | Alfred Dunhill Links Championship | −19 (67-64-66=197)* | 3 strokes | Marcus Armitage,  Ryan Fox, Matthew Southgate
|
*Note: The 2023 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship was shortened to 54 holes due to rain.
1Co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour
European Tour playoff record (2–3)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2017 | Omega European Masters | Scott Hend
|
Won with par on third extra hole |
| 2 | 2018 | Omega European Masters | Lucas Bjerregaard
|
Won with birdie on first extra hole |
| 3 | 2019 | BMW International Open |  Andrea Pavan
|
Lost to birdie on second extra hole |
| 4 | 2021 | Abrdn Scottish Open |  Thomas Detry, Min Woo Lee
|
Lee won with birdie on first extra hole |
| 5 | 2022 | DS Automobiles Italian Open |  Robert MacIntyre
|
Lost to birdie on first extra hole |
Major championships
editWins (1)
edit| Year | Championship | 54 holes | Winning score | Margin | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | U.S. Open | Tied for lead | −6 (68-70-68-68=274) | 1 stroke | Scottie Scheffler, Will Zalatoris
|
Results timeline
editResults not in chronological order in 2020.
| Tournament | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | CUT | T7 | 32 | T38 | ||
| U.S. Open | T48LA | T54 | T35 | T12 | ||
| The Open Championship | T44LA | CUT | T44 | CUT | ||
| PGA Championship | T49 | CUT | CUT |
| Tournament | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | T21 | T46 | T34 | T14 | T10 | T22 |
| PGA Championship | T41 | CUT | T23 | T5 | CUT | CUT |
| U.S. Open | T12 | CUT | T55 | 1 | T17 | T64 |
| The Open Championship | T20 | NT | T26 | T21 | T41 | T50 |
LA = low amateur
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied
NT = no tournament due to COVID-19 pandemic
Summary
edit| Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 10 | 9 |
| PGA Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 4 |
| U.S. Open | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 10 | 9 |
| The Open Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 7 |
| Totals | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 13 | 38 | 29 |
- Most consecutive cuts made – 10 (2020 Masters – 2022 Masters)
- Longest streak of top-10s – 2 (2022 PGA – 2022 U.S. Open)
Results in The Players Championship
edit| Tournament | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Players Championship | CUT | CUT | T46 | T41 | C | T9 | CUT | CUT | 5 |
CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
C = Cancelled after the first round due to the COVID-19 pandemic
Results in World Golf Championships
edit| Tournament | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Championship | T35 | T16 | T30 | T27 | T37 | T11 | |||
| Match Play | T38 | T17 | T36 | T61 | NT1 | T18 | T18 | T31 | |
| Invitational | T50 | T48 | T4 | T6 | T57 | ||||
| Champions | T7 | T16 | T9 | T54 | 7 | NT1 | NT1 | NT1 | |
1Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic
QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play
NT = No tournament
"T" = Tied
Note that the Championship and Invitational were discontinued from 2022. The Champions was discontinued from 2023.
Team appearances
editAmateur
- European Boys' Team Championship (representing England): 2012[25]
- Jacques Léglise Trophy (representing Great Britain & Ireland): 2012
- Walker Cup (representing Great Britain & Ireland): 2013
Professional
See also
editNotes
edit- ^ The 2020 DP World Tour Championship, Dubai was also a Rolex Series tournament.
References
edit- ^ "Week 16 2023 Ending 23 Apr 2023" (pdf). OWGR. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
- ^ Church, Ben; Riddell, Don (20 June 2022). "Matt Fitzpatrick revels in 'special' US Open win and 'incredible' record he now shares with Jack Nicklaus". CNN. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
- ^ Bull, Andy. "US Amateur champion Matthew Fitzpatrick aims to cut a dash at the Masters". The Guardian.
- ^ "How the Blades have featured in Matt's golfing success". Sheffield United F.C. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
- ^ "2018–19 Men's Golf Roster Alex Fitzpatrick". godeacs.com. Wake Forest University Athletics. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
- ^ Lavner, Ryan (21 July 2013). "Englishman Fitzpatrick, 18, low amateur at Open". Golf Channel. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
- ^ Scott, Ged (19 July 2013). "The Open 2013: Jimmy Mullen keeps Silver Medal hopes alive". BBC Sport. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
- ^ "U.S. Am: Matt Fitzpatrick tops Goss". ESPN. Associated Press. 18 August 2013. Retrieved 19 August 2013.
- ^ "Matthew Fitzpatrick becomes the World's number one amateur". WAGR. 21 August 2013. Retrieved 21 August 2013.
- ^ "Fitzpatrick and Ko win Mark H McCormack Medals as leading amateurs". WAGR. 21 August 2013. Retrieved 21 August 2013.
- ^ Stein, Cassie (2 July 2013). "Collegians Forrest, Stow, Fitzpatrick qualify for Open". Golfweek. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
- ^ Evans, Farrell (9 January 2014). "Matt Fitzpatrick leaves Northwestern". ESPN. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
- ^ "Northwestern men's golf 2013–2014". Northwestern University Sports.
- ^ "Matt Fitzpatrick to turn professional after US Open". BBC Sport. 21 May 2014. Retrieved 21 May 2014.
- ^ Lavner, Ryan (20 May 2014). "U.S. Am champ Fitzpatrick turning pro after Pinehurst". Golf Channel. Archived from the original on 24 May 2014. Retrieved 20 May 2014.
- ^ "European Tour Q-School: Five 2014 graduates who have impressed".
- ^ Murray, Ewan (20 November 2016). "Matthew Fitzpatrick holds nerve to win DP World Tour Championship in Dubai". The Guardian.
- ^ "Lee Westwood seals Race to Dubai; Matthew Fitzpatrick wins DP World Tour Championship". Sporting Life. 13 December 2020.
- ^ "Valderrama masterclass puts Fitzpatrick in seventh heaven". European Tour. 17 October 2021.
- ^ Ferguson, Doug (19 June 2022). "Fitzpatrick a winner again at Brookline as US Open champion". Associated Press. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
- ^ Reid, Philip (18 September 2022). "Bob MacIntyre beats Fitzpatrick in Italian Open playoff as McIlroy finishes fourth". The Irish Times. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
- ^ Iacobelli, Pete (16 April 2023). "Fitzpatrick wins RBC Heritage over Spieth on 3rd extra hole". Associated Press News. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
- ^ "Mum's the word for Matt Fitzpatrick after Links Championship double". The Guardian. Associated Press. 9 October 2023. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
- ^ "Tee Up for 'Full Swing,' the Golf Documentary Series That Drives Plenty of Drama". Netflix Tudum. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
- ^ "European Boys' Team Championship – European Golf Association". Retrieved 22 January 2023.
External links
edit- Matt Fitzpatrick at the European Tour official site
- Matt Fitzpatrick at the PGA Tour official site
- Matt Fitzpatrick at the Official World Golf Ranking official site
- Northwestern Wildcats profile