The 122nd U.S. Open and Matt Fitzpatrick’s Journey To Stardom

This weekend’s 122nd US Open at The Country Club was one for the ages, despite the fact that there was a dark cloud hovering over the event, as the LIV Golfers returned to the country to face off against their old counterparts.

However, once the first round began, all the focus was on the course. With plenty of good shots, and just as many bad shots, ending with a dramatic missed putt, it was Englishman Matt Fitzpatrick that came away victorious over Will Zalatoris.

The 27-year-old now has a Major Championship on his resume, but let’s take a closer look at how his career has quickly developed into stardom.

Matt Fitzpatrick and The Rise to Stardom

Fitzpatrick turned professional in 2014 when his NCAA career at Northwestern University ended. While at Northwestern, he was widely considered the World’s top amateur, winning the Mark H. McCormack medal, largely due to his victory at the 2013 U.S. Amateur, played at, guess where; The Country Club. Now, 9 years later, he is victorious once again at the legendary Boston course.

Since turning professional, Fitzpatrick’s career has consistently developed into elite status. Prior to this weekend, the Englishmen had no PGA Tour victories, yet 7 International victories, notably back-to-back victories at the European Masters in 2017 & 2018.

This season, Fitzpatrick’s game has reached new levels and he is quickly becoming one of the most consistent players on Tour.

In addition to this weekend’s U.S. Open victory, the World No. 10 also has 7 top-10 and 9 top-25 finishes, results that have helped him to enter the top 10 in the FedEx Cup Standings.

Matt Fitzpatrick ranks amongst the best in many categories including ranking 2nd in Scoring Average (69.056) and Strokes Gained Total (2.036). With statistics like this, it no wonder why Fitzpatrick has been one of the top players on Tour.

Over the weekend Matt Fitzpatrick battled the treacherous conditions and shot under par on all 4 days, something that no one else in the field was able to do.

He finished the week with 19 birdies, thanks to his impressive accuracy off the tee and the ability to stay out of trouble. Finishing at -6, he was able to avoid a playoff thanks to a missed birdie putt by Zalatoris on the 18th hole.

With support from many on Tour, including that of Rory McIlroy, even Fitzpatrick is amazed by the love and support he has gotten over the years.

Looking back, he can now appreciate just how tough the journey to stardom can be.

"“At the end of the day, they’re just really hard to win. I think up until Southern Hills, really, I didn’t really appreciate how hard it is actually to win a major. Yeah, I’ve not challenged, really, up until then.”"

At just 27 years old, the future is bright for the young Englishman. It’s clear that he will be competing for more Majors throughout the next few decades, and this adds to the competition that the United States will face at international events.

Matt Fitzpatrick has reached elite status and there’s no telling how high his ceiling is.