Matt Fitzpatrick admits he is still getting used to his status as a major champion, six months after his emotional victory at the US Open in Brookline.
Sheffield said: “It’s 10 from him. It was a million times better than I thought it would feel after that. Winning a major.
“It was so incredibly rewarding.”
But Fitzpatrick, who won the US Amateur Championship on the same Massachusetts course in 2013, also admitted he has had mixed feelings since lifting the trophy.
“It’s very strange,” he admitted. “I’ve done it and it’s like ‘go ahead and try and win more’ but at the same time I’m like ‘well done, now what else do I need to do?’
“I’ve talked to a few people about it and it’s a very common trait after you’ve had success. I’ve always pushed myself hard, people always say you’re too hard on yourself and I Maybe I am.
“But it’s leading up to that moment to win a major championship. The first few weeks after that it’s like pure joy and everything is amazing and then the dust settles and you have to pick yourself up. And it has to be done all over again.”
Fitzpatrick is enjoying the winter break and is unlikely to spend much time working on his game. Any golf he plays will be purely recreational.
“Right now I’m just trying to find that balance,” he said.
The show details his one-shot victory over reigning Masters champion Scotty Scheffler and fellow American Will Zalatoris at the country club.
Along with Fitzpatrick, the program hears from his caddy Billy Foster, coach Mike Walker and the player’s family.
Foster told us about a phone call to his player because his on-course behavior was so bad — he “tripped his bottom lip” at a tournament in Hilton Head a week after that year’s Masters. had lived”.
“That’s the only time I’ve ever FaceTimed him and I’ve told him straight,” Foster said. “I said; ‘Look at everything about your game, the work ethic, the way you drive it, the way you chip, the way you putt, the way you putt, everything. He is very professional in going about.
“It’s 10 out of 10 Matt, but your attitude is two out of 10. It sucks. And if you’re ever going to get what you want to get, you need to focus on that or else. You will never achieve what I believe you can.Achieve
“I’m telling you, you’re so close, you’re so close to something so big here, so get your attitude right, okay? And I left it at that.”
At the next major, the USPGA Championship at Southern Hills, Fitzpatrick showed significant improvement and remained in contention until the final two holes. But Brooklyn was always the primary target for the player.
He famously stayed with his family in the same house near Boston as he did when he won the US Amateur nine years earlier. The owners were the Fultons and Will Fulton was the general chairman in charge of the US Open in Brookline.
“When he came back he wanted everyone in the same bedroom,” Will told JEE News. “He wanted everyone to do what we did in 2013.
“We have four kids and they’re all grown up now and nine years ago they were obviously little kids. So everyone had to go back to the same place and sleep in the same bed and it worked out perfectly.”
Walker, who coached Fitzpatrick for 13 years, says the golfer tends to work hard, but from the moment he started teaching him, he had an attitude that set him apart.
“The psychological maturity he had was beyond his years at the time,” Walker said. “From a young age he always wanted to tick every box with a no-nonsense mentality.”
Walker also told the story of how Fitzpatrick’s youth led to him being misidentified when he made his Ryder Cup debut at Hazeltine in 2016.
“He went into the merch tent and they asked him how was the Junior Ryder Cup? He had to say, no I’m playing next week!” Walker said.
Now Fitzpatrick has transformed himself into one of the game’s greatest hitters, reaching the heights of his profession. His nine-iron from the fairway bunker at the last minute to set up the championship-winning par was an unforgettable moment.
“He hit a golf shot in the season,” said Foster, who almost missed the majors when he bagged the likes of Thomas Bowren, Darren Clarke and Lee Westwood.
“Fitz is arguably the most professional athlete I’ve ever worked with,” added Foster. “His work ethic, the effort he puts into every aspect of his game.
“He writes down every shot, even if it’s on the range, and everything goes into his spreadsheet. It’s incredible.”
All these efforts culminated in this extraordinary victory and glorious moments enjoyed by the close-knit community around the player.
Will Fulton recalled sitting at home the morning after the victory. He said: “Around 7am I’m there with this quiet moment and Matt sticks his head around the corner and he leans in.
“And I see him looking at me and I say ‘hey congratulations’. And in his left hand he’s swinging the US Open trophy in front of him.
“We both started laughing and we talked for maybe an hour, just the two of us. It’s a moment in my life that I’ll never forget.”
Everything about this victory, you understand, is indelibly imprinted on the memories of all these people.
While it seems the dust has still settled, it’s a fair guess that soon Fitzpatrick will be ready to go full tilt again in pursuit of greater glory.
