“At The Masters I felt my game was nowhere to be seen”
Matt Fitzpatrick bounced back magnificently from a dip in form to capture the DP World Tour Championship for the second time in his career
What a week for you – your second win at the DP World Tour Championship. Can you sum up how it felt? Yeah, amazing. The start I got off to, four birdies in the first four and five-under through seven, it’s a dream. Fortunately I managed to pull away after that and really create some distance. I’m going to be honest
– at The Masters, I felt my game was nowhere to be seen. I was struggling. I didn’t want to play the RSM Classic the following week, but Billy and Mike [caddie and coach] convinced me.
We spent some good time on the range, put the off-season plan into place on things that Mike saw in my swing that I needed to work on and we took it from there. I definitely put the win down to the work we did in the weeks after RSM. In Dubai I had some of the best warm-ups of my career. I really was hitting it very, very well, I felt very comfortable on the range and I was able to take it to the course.
How aware were you of what was going on with the Race To Dubai?
I had no idea about the Race to Dubai because I knew that where I started the week in 16th, a lot needed to go my way. When I saw Lee at second, it did enter my head briefly going to 18 that even if I won, it probably wouldn’t be enough. But all I was bothered about was winning. It was one of those few weeks in your career where you feel really good, you’re playing really well and you go and win.
You can play poorly and win and sometimes you can play amazingly and lose.
You started 2020 ranked 26 in the world and had a consistent season, but without a win before Dubai. How disappointing would a winless year have been?
Yeah, I think I would have been disappointed. I didn’t feel like I contended enough in 2020 and some of the good results came through the back door, which is always nice, but you like to be competing. But that was going to be the positive coming away – that I felt my game was in good shape and I knew what I needed to work on. To pick up the win as well was a little bit extra special.
Are you hoping this win will be a springboard, especially with the Ryder Cup on the horizon? And would Europe be well served having Lee Westwood back on the team?
I really hope it is. I thought that would be the case back in 2016, but I had, well, not a poor 2017, but not as good a 2017 as I’d have liked. But for me, it’s a new year and I’ve got a big off-season planned. I don’t know when I’m going to start my 2021 yet. But I’ve got a lot of work to do and I want to come out playing more like this.
As for Lee, it’s a no-brainer right now, isn’t it? He’s playing some brilliant golf, as we saw again in Dubai, and he competed plenty in 2020. So yeah, there’s no reason why Lee can’t make the team.