EDITOR’S NOTE: Some major champions seem destined for greatness; their triumphs are not a stunning development, rather an eventuality. Matt Fitzpatrick isn’t one of those guys – his words, not ours. Winning the US Amateur at 18 and making a Ryder Cup team before 22 might make you think Fitzpatrick would be satisfied with his place among the game’s best. But before winning the 2022 US Open, Fitz and his coach, Mike Walker, knew that despite those accomplishments – and a top-50 world ranking – his game didn’t stack up with the very best golfers. “He played with Brooks Koepka and Justin Thomas at the 2020 Masters,” Walker says. “Matt hit a 7-wood into 11, while those boys flicked short irons. Matt didn’t have a chance. We needed to make some serious strides if he was to ever reach that level.” Fitzpatrick’s analytical nature has fuelled his quest to get all he can out of his 5-foot-9 frame. “Some people are born with speed, I had to build mine,” he says. With that in mind, Fitzpatrick consults a swing coach, a putting coach, a statistician, a trainer, a biomechanist and a performance coach. He logs every competitive shot and pores over spreadsheets like a financial analyst. “He’ll turn over every last stone to find that 1 percent,” Walker says. “And then he’ll go out and find another stone.” On these pages, Fitzpatrick shares some key lessons from his journey to become a major champion. – DAN RAPAPORT
114 GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA
MARCH/APRIL 2025
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