Matt Fitzpatrick Enters This U.S. Open a Little Less Sharp, But Much More Accomplished Than One Year Ago

Fitzpatrick remade his game a power hitter over the past few years, and while his iron play has been a little scattered, he may be able to lean on his power to contend at this Open.

LOS ANGELES – Matt Fitzpatrick is one of the most unassuming U.S. Open champions, but as he enters his title defense this week at the Los Angeles Country Club, he is, in a word, trending.

Yes, he is the same Fitzpatrick who won the U.S. Am in 2013 when he went by Matthew. Back then he was a solid ball striker with average length who could compete at times on the big stage.

Today he goes by Matt, and he is a bomber who lost none of his ball striking but gained a ton of length, almost to the point that he has had two professional careers.

Trending is a good way to explain the Englishman’s current game as he has had two good weeks of competition coming into the U.S. Open.

After a missed cut at the PGA Championship at Oak Hill last month, Fitzpatrick finished T9 at the Memorial Tournament with a pedestrian even-par 72 in the final round and then a T20 in Canada while fighting with muscle stiffness between his shoulder blades.

“I certainly felt like Memorial and last week I was playing some good golf,” Fitzpatrick said Monday afternoon here at the U.S. Open. “I didn't necessarily score too well last week, but again, I had a slight flare-up on Friday afternoon with my neck. I definitely feel like my game is in better shape. I certainly don't think it's as good as it was last year.”

Last year, Fitzpatrick missed a cut just two weeks before the U.S. Open at Memorial but had a T2 at the Wells Fargo Championship and then a T5 at the PGA Championship before the MC in Columbus and then a T10 at the Canadian Open.

One of the biggest differences in preparation from this year to last was the bulging disk the 28-year-old experienced prior to AT&T Pebble Beach week in early February.

Missing the cut at Pebble Beach and then three additional missed cuts in five weeks, left Fitzpatrick with limited time to work on his game early in the year, but a win at the Heritage the week after the Masters seemed to wash away the memories of bulging disks and missed practice time.

“I think for me winning last year gave me the boost that when I played my best or when I play well, I can compete with anyone and I can win a major,” Fitzpatrick said of his win at The Country Club. “I think that was the biggest thing for me to take away turning up to events, knowing that, O.K., my game feels in good shape. I've got a chance to win this week.

The player who was good enough to win tournaments on the DP World Tour but struggled in PGA Tour events and majors was Matthew. The player with no fear is Matt.

At the 2020 Masters, Fitzpatrick was playing with Brooks Koepka and Justin Thomas the first two rounds and as seminal moments go, the realization came to him that a 6-iron can’t compete with a 7-wood.

Fitzpatrick had to get longer.

He felt he played well enough but couldn’t compete in majors.

Working with several coaches, he used a speed training system called The Stack. Fitzpatrick gained valuable speed and yardage off the tee.

From an average driving distance of 287.9 in 2019, Fitzpatrick evolved to 303.8 in 2022 and even longer so far in 2023 to 306.5.

At the same time Fitzpatrick’s issue, which may be why his game isn’t quite where he had hoped to be this, is hitting greens in regulation. He’s currently at 64.78 percent, 108th on Tour.

“I spoke to Edoardo Molinari this morning about any questions I might have,” Fitzpatrick said of meeting with his statistics coach and fellow former U.S. Amateur Champion. “He's going to try and have a look and see what he thinks and give me the best information he can.”

Unlike last year when Fitzpatrick came to Boston with a solid season of success, including a near-miss at the PGA Championship, this week he enters as the defending champion but with a game that’s a little less buttoned up this time around.

“As long as my game is there or thereabouts, I feel like I can perform,” he said.

That will be the question this week: is his game there or thereabouts?

If it’s there, Fitzpatrick should be in the hunt. If not, it could be a short week.