SPORTS SHORTS
‘Fitz plus a chip looks so tasty’
PADRAIG HARRINGTON reckons Matt Fitzpatrick’s “chip on his shoulder” helped fuel his US Open breakthrough.
But two-time Open champion Harrington reckons Fitzpatrick will have a tough job to pull off back-toback Majors after predicting a brutal course set-up at St Andrews for The Open, which begins on July 14.
English ace Fitzpatrick, 27, is one of the favourites to triumph on the Old Course at the 150th Open, after his stunning win at Brookline (above).
Harrington, 50, who captained Fitzpatrick at the Ryder Cup last year, said: “I’ve been backing Matt for a long time, telling everybody he’s got the bottle to win a Major championship.
“People kind of underrate him so it gives him that nice little chip on the shoulder to get it done.
“If I was giving Matt advice, I would say don’t worry about your golf over the next couple of weeks – just spend as much time recovering as you can.
“Don’t hit any shots really, just rest – because the mental stress is what he must manage.”
Harrington expects some fairly stress-inducing pin positions at The Open. The Irish ace, who lifted the US Senior Open last weekend, added: “They’re going to protect that course, so it will be a trying week mentally.
“Those pin positions are going to be difficult. They’re going to pick some like, ‘Wow, I didn’t even realise there was a green over there’.
“They’re going to put it up to us to use our imaginations – it won’t just be a case of firing away at every pin.”