U.K. - Matt Fitzpatrick

An exemplary athlete

- SEAN GREGORY

Matt Fitzpatrick, the emergent golfer who will defend his 2022 U.S. Open title at the Los Angeles Country Club in mid-June, leaned on a neat mental trick at this year's Masters. Fitzpatrick, 28, hadn't fared well at Augusta in previous starts: since 2016, he's finished, on average, in 27th place. So he recalibrated his expectations. "Anything better than that, I've got to take the positives from it," says Fitzpatrick. "I felt like that kept me grounded throughout the week." Fitzpatrick finished tied for 10th, his best in seven years. A week later, he won the PGA event in Hilton Head Island, S.C. Following his early-spring roll, Fitzpatrick rose to sixth in the World Golf Rankings, tops for his career.