Nearly Man No More

At the age of 27, Matt Fitzpatrick is one of the game’s nearly men. Good enough to win multiple times in Europe and contend on the PGA Tour, so what will it take for him to make that next step up?

- Michael Catling

Matt Fitzpatrick has come a long way since being mistaken for Tiger’s ball boy at the 2013 Open, The kid who chased Rickie Fowler for an autograph turned 27 last month and still retains the same slender build and boyish looks, but he’s gone from practising for eight hours a day at Hallamshire Golf Club in his hometown of Sheffield to rubbing shoulders with golf’s elite at Jack Nicklaus’ Bear’s Club in North Palm Beach. He currently splits his time between the European Tour, where he has won six times, and the PGA Tour where he’s still trying to make his mark. It’s a source of frustration that he remains winless in 91 starts, especially as he’s so intent on proving that you don’t need to hit it miles to contend in today’s game.

While not blessed with the power of Bryson, Fitzpatrick has extracted a lot from his old-school, rhythmical swing – the Ryder Cup notwithstanding – and has gained a reputation as one of the most analytical minds in the game. His accuracy from tee-to-green is perhaps bettered only by his metronome-like putting stroke, which remains the envy of his peers.

He’s not bothered about chasing distance and he even got Bryson’s attention when he suggested it requires less skill to simply smash the ball harder. Fitzpatrick still stands by that statement today and as we found out, he’s now getting a helping hand from a European Tour veteran to compensate for any shortcomings in the power stakes…

How do you assess your performances over the last 12 months?