Matt Fitzpatrick posed for photos with his mother as they crossed the Swilcan Bridge, then made birdie from 10 feet on the storied 18th hole at St Andrews. Talk about a perfect way to close out a first European tour title in two years.
The 2022 US Open champion shot a six-under-par 66 on the Old Course to finish on 19-under-par overall for an event that was reduced to 54 holes after heavy rain wiped out play on Saturday and Sunday.
Play was only possible on Monday after remarkable efforts from the greenkeepers at the three storied Scottish courses hosting the pro-am event – St Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns – to make them playable. Large parts of Carnoustie, in particular, were unrecognisable on Sunday and there were still huge swathes of water on some fairways.
Ryan Fox, a recent winner at the PGA Championship, shot 65 on the Old Course and was tied for second place with Matthew Southgate (66 at St Andrews) and Marcus Armitage (66 at Carnoustie).
Fitzpatrick, who won the RBC Heritage on the PGA Tour in April, had not won on the European Tour since the Andalucía Masters in October 2021. This latest title comes a week after he was part of Europe’s Ryder Cup-winning team in Rome, where he claimed his first point in golf’s biggest show after five straight losses across away matches in 2016 and 2021.
He played with his mother, Susan, in the pro-am – and they won, too. “I couldn’t ask for a better week,” said Fitzpatrick, who shot 67 at Carnoustie on Thursday and 64 at Kingsbarns on Friday. “Aside from the weather, it really was a perfect week. Even with all my wins, aside from a major, you forget about them in the future, and you’ll always remember the one that you won with your mum.”
After Fitzpatrick finished his round, only the No 381-ranked Armitage could realistically threaten the lead and he made three birdies in a four-hole stretch to close within two shots with three holes left at Carnoustie. However, the Englishman finished par-bogey-par to fall back into a tie for second.
Sebastian Söderberg of Sweden made 10 birdies in a bogey-free 62 at Kingsbarns and was alone in fifth place on 15 under overall. A total of 39 players either withdrew or retired before the third and final round.
