Matt finish helps gloss over pain of Ryder Cup
HOW appropriate that a Ryder Cup venue proved the setting as Matt Fitzpatrick moved on from last month’s bitter disappointment at Whistling Straits with a fine win in the Andalucia Masters yesterday.
Playing for the first time since Europe’s whipping in Wisconsin, the 27-year-old found the claustrophobic confines of tricky Valderrama far more to his liking as he hunted down fellow Englishman Laurie Canter and Swede Sebastian Soderberg with a finalround 69 for a three-stroke success.
It was the seventh victory of his career and the only Englishmen to win that many titles at a younger age were Nick Faldo, Lee Westwood and Peter Oosterhuis.
He joins a list of Valderrama winners including Sergio Garcia, Bernhard Langer, Colin Montgomerie, Faldo and Seve Ballesteros, who also captained Europe to victory there in the 1997 Ryder Cup.
‘It was on the bucket list to win here with all its history and to do it with a bogey-free round on Sunday afternoon feels extraspecial,’ said the Sheffield man.
Fitzpatrick left the Ryder Cup feeling unlucky to emerge pointless from three matches and determined to end the season on a high. He can occasionally look short of artillery on courses with wide open fairways that suit the bombers, but proper tests such as Valderrama play right into his skilful hands.
This was a masterclass in patience as he waited for his less experienced rivals to crack.
While Canter struggled after building up a three-stroke lead early on and Soderberg fell apart completely over the closing two holes, Fitzpatrick hit the front for the first time at the 16th, where he followed up 15 pars with a precious birdie.
At the dauntingly difficult par-five 17th, where Soderberg lost a ball to run up an ugly seven, Fitzpatrick calmly posted another gain that effectively sealed his triumph.
Now fifth in the Race to Dubai, he will have the chance to win the season-long pursuit when it reaches its climax in the Middle East next month. At the final event, the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai, it just so happens that Fitzpatrick will be the defending champion.
For Canter, who led by two strokes going into the final round, it was another learning experience following his runnerup finish at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth.
He shouldn’t be too down on himself, for it’s hard to imagine a harder course to win for the first time than this one, where the margins are so small.
On the PGA Tour, Rory McIlroy was tied for the lead with Collin Morikawa after 10 holes of his final round of the CJ Cup in Las Vegas last night.