2022 Genesis Scottish Open: Top 10 Power Rankings at The Renaissance Club
The reigning U.S. Open champion is back in his home continent.
Matthew Fitzpatrick arrives at the Genesis Scottish Open seeking to redeem himself after coming up just shy last year. The Englishman posted 66-66-67-67 to get into a playoff with eventual champion Min Woo Lee and Thomas Detry.
A par for Fitzy and Detry weren’t enough as Lee won with a birdie on the first playoff hole. Nonetheless, it was a solid week for Fitzpatrick and a third made cut in as many tries at the Renaissance Club.
He took T-14th (67-65-67-68) in 2019 and T-42nd (69-72-72-70) in 2020.
Fitzpatrick has had moderate success elsewhere on links land at The Open Championship. He’s got four made cuts in six starts, including low amateur honors when he took T-44th in 2013 and T-20th in 2019.
“I think one thing I do think about links golf is the way the course is designed. More often than not, you just have to plot your way around and you have to think a bit more,” Fitzpatrick was transcribed by ASAP Sports during the 2021 Scottish Open. “Kind of take those bunkers on; do I need to thread it, do I stay short. So I definitely like that aspect of it.”
This is our first look at Fitzpatrick since The Country Club.
Fitzpatrick fired par or better all four days and came up with a clutch bunker shot on the 72nd hole that helped seal his one-shot victory over Will Zalatoris.
The win came on the heels of a T-10th the week prior at the RBC Canadian Open. It was also an impressive sign after Fitzpatrick floundered the last time he was in the final group of the major. It was just a couple months ago at the PGA Championship where he settled for T-5th.
Fitzpatrick ought to feel chuffed not only for that, but for winning for the first time on the PGA Tour and first time on American soil.
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He ranks second on the PGA Tour in total strokes gained per round (2.265) and is right on Rory McIlroy’s (2.295) heels. The Northwestern alum leads in SG tee to green (1.87) and has added distance this season.
The 27-year-old owns six DP World Tour wins. I see him double-dipping tour wins with a victory at The Renaissance Club.