Matt finish shows head for heights
Matt Fitzpatrick really did scale the heights in claiming his fourth European tour title at the age of only 23, winning a tense play-off against australian Scott Hend in the heart of the Swiss alps yesterday.
the only players in tour history younger than Fitzpatrick and with a quartet of trophies go by the names of Seve Ballesteros, JoseMaria Olazabal, Sandy Lyle, Sergio Garcia and Matteo Manassero.
Sheffield starlet Fitzpatrick (right) forced a play-off at the Omega European Masters with a wonderful final-round 64 before beating the luckless Hend at the third extra hole. the 44-year-old failed to get up and down from the back of the 18th green and it was the second year in a row that Hend had lost this title in a play-off.
this season has not been plain sailing for Fitzpatrick, as he tried to juggle the demands of competing in Europe and on the PGa tour in america. Given the sport’s increasing reliance on power, it has also not been easy for a man who does not have the 330-yard drive in his armoury.
the good news is that he does have everything else and showed once more his priceless ability to seize winning opportunities when they present themselves. ‘I’m delighted to win this event. It’s one that has stood out on the calendar for me since I first played here in 2014,’ said Fitzpatrick. as ever, he enjoyed a winner’s touch of fortune towards the end, as he got away with a poor bogey at the 17th and then watched Hend miss from six feet at the second extra hole. ‘ I must admit I thought I was going to pay for my mistake at the 17th when Scott stood over that putt,’ said Fitzpatrick. He now goes to the top of the fledgling European Ryder Cup points list. and while there will be many twists and turns over the long qualifying period, it will be a heck of a surprise if he is not still in the top 12 when the team is finalised this time next year.
there was also a return to form for fellow Englishman tyrrell Hatton after a bad summer, as he claimed joint third.
In Japan, on the over-50s Champions tour, Colin Montgomerie brought some welcome relief to a troubled year — filled with injury and a nasty court case involving his ex-wife Gaynor — with his first win of the season.