The rise of Matt Fitzpatrick: What’s next for the US Open winner?

What a ride it has been for Matt Fitzpatrick so far. It’s fair to say the US Open win has been the highlight for the young Englishman so far, but how did he get here? And what happens next? Continue reading to learn about his journey so far, how the US Open went, and what’s next.

Fitzpatrick’s journey

Matt Fitzpatrick has been on quite the journey in recent years. Before looking at the US Open and what is to come in the future, it is good to see where the young Englishman started off. Matt attended Tapton School and sat his A-Levels only back in 2013. In 2012, he won the UK Boys Championship at Hollinwell, the first golfing achievement he could shout about.

A year later, around the same time he was doing his A-Levels, Matt earned a silver medal for high amateur on his Open debut at Muirfield. Later that year, he became the first Englishman for over 100 years to win the US Amateur. This was achieved down in the Country Club down in Brookline. If that sounds familiar, it’s because that’s also where he won the actual US Open a few years later.

In 2014, Matt was eligible to play in the Masters and the US Open due to his status as US Amateur champion. This helped him launch his professional career, claiming his first professional victory on the European Tour at the British Masters. He earned wins the next year at the Nordea Masters and the DP World Championship before earning wins at the European Masters in 2017. The next few years saw a couple of wins until 2022, when he almost won a PGA tour victory before the US Open.

The US Open

The US Open is always one of the highlights of the golf season, but the English can be forgiven for not expecting too much. Not many Englishmen win the US Open, with it only happening three times in the last century. It’s also not a feat often replicated to see someone win the US Open on the same course that they won the US Amateur title. This has only happened once before, by famous golfer Jack Nicklaus. However, just a mere nine years after winning the US amateur title at the Country Club, Matt Fitzpatrick became US Open champion. The US Open win helped Matt win the record-breaking prize of $3.15 million. That was a 40 per cent jump over the previous year, with the game earning more and more money through sponsorships and general revenue.

ROLEX TESTIMONEE MATTHEW FITZPATRICK LIFTS THE TROPHY AT THE 122ND U.S. OPEN, THE COUNTRY CLUB, BROOKLINE ©Rolex/Chris Turvey

Coming into the tournament, Matt wasn’t exactly odds on favourite. In fact, there were a whole host of other golfers who were fancied. The odds-on favourite from most bookmakers was Rory McIlroy, followed closely by Collin Morikawa, who both gave the same chances. In fact, Matt Fitzpatrick was as low down as tenth in some pre-tournament odds. Betting on golf is a time-favoured tradition and those who gamble on sports could also be interested in winning real money via online casinos. You can browse Online Casinos to view the different sign-up offerings and have the chance to learn more about odds and win real money at the same time.

Matt Fitzpatrick closed two-under 68, with there being several key moments along the way. Who could forget the 50-foot birdie put on the 13^th hole, for example? Key moments like this don’t come around often in a golfer’s career, and you had to feel like it was his moment.

It’s fair to say that putting has always been a strength of Matt’s game. That, and his ability to find the fairway straight off the tee. The issue holding Matt back before this point was that he didn’t seem to be able to compete at the top level. However, Fitzpatrick worked with his coaches to improve certain specifics of his game. This allowed him to drive further than ever before, which we all noticed during the US Open.

The last round of the US Open was fascinating, with the lead ever-changing between Scheffler and Zalatoris before Matt took the win. The Yorkshire man, who is also a Sheffield United fan to boot, helped to carve a unique piece of golfing history, after winning by a single shot. This major win only stands to escalate the young Englishman’s career and could see him become a real force in the golfing community.

Looking ahead

After putting himself into history books and winning the US Open, Matt Fitzpatrick believes there is more to come. While he admits that he still has a bit of a way to go, he knows he has started off his career well. Looking ahead, Matt Fitzpatrick plans to win half a dozen major championships and match the European record currently held by Nick Faldo.

He sees six major championships as the target to aim for and wants to go win as soon as possible. He knows this won’t be easy, but believes he has a great foundation to go from. To help him achieve this, Matt should continue doing what he’s doing, and not overthink things too much, as this could actually be off-putting.

As we mentioned above, Matt is a Sheffield United fan, and has compared himself to his beloved Blades. He feels he wasn’t expected to do well or succeed but defeated the odds anyways, much like his own team. He realises how much hard work will be needed to further defeat the odds, and it will be interesting to see how he gets on over the next year, especially following the unsuccessful British Open.

Final thoughts

To sum up, it’s fair to say that Matt Fitzpatrick is one of the most exciting golfers around right now, not just out of Britain and Europe, but the world too. His success at the US Open was unexpected, and you can expect Matt to use this as a platform to try and achieve more success.

You should keep a close eye on his career over the next few years, as it promises to be an exciting watch for the young Yorkshire man.