Matthew Fitzpatrick eyeing Ryder Cup boost

Matthew Fitzpatrick eyeing Ryder Cup

Share this story






Matthew Fitzpatrick is hoping he can catch the eye of European Ryder Cup captain Darren Clarke when making his debut in the WGC-Dell Match Play Championship.

The coveted tournament gets underway at Austin Country Club in Texas on Wednesday as the world’s best golfers go toe-to-toe in search of the prestigious title.

Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy is the defending champion, having defeated American Gary Woodland 4&2 in the final at TPC Harding Park in California.

Fitzpatrick, who turned professional after finishing tied-48th at the 2014 US Open, has been drawn in Group 9 with the American trio of Patrick Reed, Phil Mickelson and Daniel Berger.

The 21-year-old secured a maiden European Tour victory at the 2015 British Masters after ending up two strokes ahead of runners-up Shane Lowry, Fabrizio Zanotti and Soren Kjeldsen.

Another nine top-10 finishes, that included a third place at the Czech Masters and a second in the Omega European Masters, were also recorded by the Sheffield-born star.

Fitzpatrick, who has climbed to world number 44, is looking forward to taking on some of the big guns and showcasing his credentials for the a Ryder Cup spot for the event at Hazeltine.

“It’s a good opportunity to maybe do a bit of a giant-killing – that’s the plan anyway,” he said. “It would be pretty cool and it would bode well for the Ryder Cup.”

A strong performance for Fitzpatrick would be just the tonic needed leading up to the Masters at Augusta National in April, where he is a big outside shot at 151.00 to clinch the green jacket.

McIlroy will also be hoping to gather some momentum to complete the Grand Slam and he is joint-favourite at 8.00 alongside defending champion Jordan Spieth.

Leave a comment