Matthew Fitzpatrick has won the 122nd US Open in golf, becoming the first Englishman to win a major since Danny Willett in 2016.
The triumph of the 27-year-old – the greatest success of his young career – was ultimately a matter of centimetres. While Fitzpatrick potted to par on the 18th hole of round four, his American rival Will Zalatoris would have needed a birdie to force a playoff. However, Zalatoris’ birdie putt only touched the edge of the hole and rolled very thinly to the left.
Fitzpatrick ended up six under the course standard, one better than Zalatoris and Scottie Scheffler (USA), who also finished five under.
“I’ve had patience”
“Today, before the final lap, I decided to be patient and not get nervous too quickly”Fitzpatrick explained the secret of his success afterwards. “I told myself you have 18 holes to sort things out. That way I was able to handle setbacks.”
Thanks to a strong final round of 65 – the best of the entire tournament in Brookline, USA – the Japanese Hideki Matsuyama finished fourth with three strokes under par. He fought his way up brilliantly from 17th place. Fifth was Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy with two under par.