Fitzpatrick strongest in US Open

After a gasping end, the Englishman Matthew Fitzpatrick managed to win the US Open at The Country Club outside Boston. He became the first Englishman to win the US Open since Justin Rose won in 2003 and became the only second male player in history to win both the US Amateur and the US Open on the same course.

– It is a cliché but it is really a dream come true. I feel so comfortable around this track. I know exactly where to hit the ball and where I can miss and it’s wonderful to win here again, said the winner after the competition.

Fitzpatrick started the final round in a split lead with Will Zalatoris, but early in the final round, world setter Scottie Scheffler also got involved in the victory battle. Scheffler made four birdies first six holes but two straight bogeys on holes 10 and 11 slowed the world set. Zalatoris got off to a slow start with two early bogeys but worked his way into the final round with birdies on holes 6, 7 and 9.

It was also the trio that made up for the victory on the final holes. Scheffler was five under before the last hole and did not manage to improve on that number on the last hole but finished five under par. Before the closing hole, Fitzpatrick was six under but he knocked his driver down in the left fairway bunker, a bunker that harvested many victims during the week. Fortunately, the Englishman had the flow that the bunker edge was not in the way of the second shot and he was able to settle up to just over six meters from the hole. However, he missed the birdie putt and finished six under par, thus giving Will Zalatoris the opportunity to take the competition to special play from just under five meters. The American putt missed by a few centimeters on the left side.

How do you define clutch?@ MattFitz94 hit this shot on 18 to help secure the #USOpen title. pic.twitter.com/iQcOGxph0Z

— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) June 19, 2022

– If there is something that I am unsure of, it is a blow from fairway bunkers, but the situation gave me no alternatives, which made the blow easier. I had to hit it against the flag or to the left, otherwise I would have had to go too close to the bunker edge. I did not think much but realized that I needed to hit the green because I knew Will would settle up close.

The moment that sealed the @USOpenGolf win for @ MattFitz94.pic.twitter.com/SbHWp9evdW

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) June 20, 2022

The plan worked perfectly and Fitzpatrick finally got to call himself a major winner. The Englishman has long had a hard time performing in the majors and had before the PGA Championship earlier this year only a top ten in 27 starts. But Fitzpatrick thanks his increased length for giving himself a better opportunity to compete on tough courses. From previously being one of the more short-sighted, he now keeps pace with those who hit the longest.

– I have increased the length of my drive about 15 meters thanks to a training program that I received from Mike (Walker) and Sasho MacKenzie, my physio. It becomes a mental advantage when you know you are hitting longer than many others.

Fitzpatrick had previously won seven titles on the European Tour, including two victories in the tour final DP World Tour Championship 2016 and 2020. He also won the Nordea Masters at Bro Hof 2016. The victory check in this year’s US Open was approximately SEK 35 million.

Of course, the victory was also great for Fitzpatrick’s caddy, Billy Foster, who has been a caddy of lots of great players for over 30 years without ever succeeding in winning a major. Now he finally got to win one.

David Lingmerth finished in a shared 49th place, 16 strokes behind Fitzpatrick while Sebastian Söderberg was one stroke further down in a shared 53rd place.