‘ Level-headed Matt is on course ‘ to be a huge star
Straight talking down the middle
YOUNG Matthew Fitzpatrick had a summer he’ll never forget.
It all suggests he is a star in the making. But the 18-year-old is doing the ideal thing by heading to an American college to further hone his game.
Coming through qualifying and winning the Silver Medal as leading Amateur at The Open was a splendid performance.
Making the cut at Muirfield was an achievement in itself for Matt, given how tough the course was set up.
Then to beat the best young players in the world to lift the US Amateur Championship — as Scot Richie Ramsay did in 2006 — was a truly special effort.
He joins an illustrious cast of former winners – Bobby Jones, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods.
By winning at Brookline, the Yorkshire teenager also lifted the curse that had hung over British and European golf at the famous Boston course.
Everyone remembers the Ryder Cupde feat in 1999, but there have been two Walker Cup defeats, too, while Sir Nick Faldo and Harry Vardon and Ted Ray lost 18-hole play-offs for the US Open in 1988 and 1913 respectively.
Victory at the US Amateur automatically gets Fitzpatrick into the Masters, the US Open and The Open next year.
That sort of experience is invaluable to a young golfer.
Matthew seems to come from a very grounded family in Sheffield, and he’ll know that it’s the right for him to go to college.
The scholarship to Northwestern University in Chicago, Luke Donald’s old college, is perfect. He’ll have access to wonderful facilities, where he’ll benefit from expert coaching and can work on his game.
The inter-university competition in the States is fierce, as every team wants to be top dogs.
You’re playing people who will be your rivals for over 20 years, and if you can beat them as amateurs, you’ll take that confidence to the pros.
Away from the course, the academic side is no bad thing because your life is better balanced and it’s not just all golf.
I’ve experience of the American system because my son, Jamie, attended Wake Forest in North Carolina on a scholarship.
Jamie was a scratch golfer and played successfully on their team, but he realised that he wasn’t good enough to be a pro.
But he had the chance to make an informed decision and could fall back on his studies.
A few years in Chicago will allow Matthew to develop his game away from the spotlight and he can turn pro when he’s ready.
He’s wise to avoid the temptation Justin Rose experienced in 1998 after this fourth place at The Open.
Justin felt he’d achieved everything in the amateur ranks and turned pro immediately, just before his 18th birthday.
But think back to his baptism of fire and those 21 successive missed cuts.
Justin came through it and we all saw what he did at Merion in June to win the US Open.
However, that’s not a good template to follow.
Matthew may miss out short term by going to college, but this is definitely the right path for long term success.