Fitzpatrick following in brother’s footsteps at US Amateur

YORKSHIRE’S Alex Fitzpatrick has made it through to the last 16 of the US Amateur after beating Argentina’s Jesus Montenegro at Pebble Beach.

The 19-year-old, the younger brother of Ryder Cup player Matt Fitzpatrick and incoming freshman at Wake Forest University, is the only Englishman left in the last 16 in California after defeating Montenegro at the second play-off hole.

Five years ago Matt became the first Englishman to win the US Amateur in 102 years when he triumphed at Brookline Country Club, when then-14-year-old Alex was on his brother’s bag.

Matt has gone on to be the leading amateur at both the Open and US Open, a four-time winner on the European Tour and a Ryder Cup player, while Alex seeks to carve out a reputation for himself.

That he is doing admirably, as being proven at Pebble Beach.

In the round-of-64 he beat American Ian Siebers 2&1 in the match play tournament.

At the start of the round, both men birdied the first but Siebers then bogeyed the second, third, fourth and sixth, allowing Fitzpatrick to quickly move four up.

They both bogeyed the seventh but a Siebers birdie on the next saw him win his first hole of the day, and when Fitzpatrick bogeyed the next two, the gap was down to one.

From there, Fitzpatrick birdied the 11th, with both players halving the remaining holes until the 17th.

Scott Jamieson believes he can use his experience to get out of a “sticky situation” and retain his European Tour card for next season.

Jamieson recorded four top-10 finishes in 2017 and was a careerbest 26th on the Race to Dubai, but currently lies 126th with only the top 110 at the end of the season retaining their full playing privileges for 2019.

The Florida-based Scot, who also struggled to retain his card in 2015 and 2016, made a superb start to the Nordea Masters in Gothenburg with an opening sixunder-par 64 to lie just two shots off the lead held by France’s Clement Sordet.

“I’m obviously in a bit of a sticky situation as things stand but if I can keep days like today going then I’ll be OK,” Jamieson said. “I’ve been in this situation before so I know what to do, I know you shouldn’t be panicking. It’s hard but you just have to keep going.”

Jamieson shared second place with Lee Slattery, with Christofer Blomstrand one of four players a shot further back.

America’s Brandt Snedeker carded the 10th sub-60 round in PGA Tour history with an opening 59 in the Wyndham Championship in North Carolina.