With Augusta a mere two weeks away, players are jostling for position in their quest to win the year’s first- and most prestigious- major championship.
DeChambeau and Rahm have raised LIV’s profile in recent weeks, increasing the chances of a first LIV major winner since Bryson conquered pernickety Pinehurst No.2 in 2024. Scottie Scheffler has lost a little steam, but only needs to be in 2nd gear to compete down Magnolia Lane. Rory is a massive question mark given his current fitness issues. Meanwhile, former major champs Collin Morikawa and Xander Schauffele appear to be shaping up nicely. But I just wanted to take a moment to focus on one dark-horse contender who could ruffle a few Georgian feathers: Matthew Fitzpatrick.
Judging a book by its cover
31-year-old Englishman Matthew Fitzpatrick seems to be one of the nicest, most down-to-earth guys on tour. However, there is something about his appearance that just screams English boarding-school privilege (you half expect his caddy to double as his butler). And with American crowds leaning heavily towards jingoistic frat-boy these days (especially during Trump 2.0), Fitzy has come in for a fair share of abuse. Last year, he didn’t even let his parents travel to Bethpage Black for the Ryder Cup (which, in retrospect, seems an inspired decision). And things got quite ugly at the recent Players Championship, where the Floridian faithful actively booed the Englishman during his titanic duel with Cam Young. Fitzpatrick went on to lose by one stroke and downplayed the crowd’s antics. But there is no way that it didn’t affect him.
Sweet revenge at Copperhead
He responded to that treatment in magnificent fashion at the notoriously tricky Copperhead Course at Innisbrook, claiming his first US PGA title in three years with a one-shot victory over American David Lipsky. It was the ideal response following his unseemly treatment at TPC Sawgrass. Fitzpatrick played consistently, ending as the only man to shoot four sub-70 rounds. There was a time when Fitzpatrick was perhaps considered a bit lightweight for concerted major championship success. But he has emulated compatriot Tommy Fleetwood in recent seasons, adding a precious 10-15 yards with the driver to make himself more competitive. Look, he isn’t going to be pulling a Bryson at Bay Hill anytime soon. But he is giving himself plenty more wedges these days.
An approachable guy
And that brings me to the part of Fitzpatrick’s play that has improved immeasurably: approach. The 2022 US Open champ has struggled with mid-to-short irons in recent seasons, ranking 127th for SG: Approach during the 2024 campaign. He improved slightly last season, ending the year ranked a respectable 76th. But he and coach Matt Blackburn have gone back to basics this year, really honing in on the left-to-right fade that he favours. And the results speak for themselves, with Fitzpatrick currently sitting 7th for SG: Approach this season. That type of meteoric improvement evokes Scheffler’s transformative putting statistics. Fitzpatrick has always been solid off the tee and streaky with the putter. This newly acquired iron-play could make him a serial contender.
Trending toward a major tilt
Last year, Fitzpatrick hadn’t registered a single top-20 finish on Tour heading into the PGA Championship. The Englishman went on to finish in a tie for 8th at Quali Hollow, the first of five top 10’s for the season (including a T4 at the Open). He also shone during the DP World Tour’s closing stretch, outduelling Rory to claim the DP World Tour Championship. He has built on that form this year, picking up three top 10’s leading into the upcoming Masters. Fitzpatrick doesn’t have a spectacular record at Augusta, picking up just the one top-10 finish in 2023 (T10). However, approach play and GIR have become the chief bellwethers of success at Augusta. Fitzpatrick’s dialled-in iron play should give him his best chance yet of walking away with a Green Jacket. Curiously, McIlroy and Fitzpatrick look like doppelgangers from certain angles, meaning a Fitzpatrick victory could make for an amusing jacket presentation.
