Every now and then, a youngster comes along with such precocious talent; he has the potential of single-handedly reinvigorating the sport.
These may still be early days to put Matthew Fitzpatrick in that bracket, but his DP World Tour Championship win on Sunday proves yet again that the 22-year-old from Sheffield is special. In just two short years, his career graph has zoomed to dizzy heights.
From a player who was depending on sponsor’s exemptions to get into tournaments despite clinching his Tour card through the Qualifying School in 2014, Fitzpatrick won an event and broke into the top-50 of the world rankings in his first year as a professional, and then secured a Ryder Cup berth through automatic qualification in his second.
And now, he has won the biggest tournament on the European Tour, playing against a select field of top-60 players. No…not even Rory McIlroy had such an impressive start to his career.
The way the Earth course has played over the years, and the kind of roll of honour it has – Lee Westwood, Robert Karlsson, Alvaro Quiros, Rory McIlroy and Henrik Stenson – the long-hitters have clearly got a distinct advantage over the field.
🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼🏆🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼 pic.twitter.com/mcOAqsMe8E
— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) November 20, 2016
Fitzpatrick hardly qualifies in the category of long hitters. That’s what everyone thought. The effects of spending the last three months working hard in the gym is clearly showing as he averaged 298.4 yards off the tee. And he continues to hit it straight.
He was third in the field in fairways hit, and has always been very solid with the putter. Blessed with zen-like composure on the golf course, Fitzpatrick looks like the complete package. Things will keep getting interesting from here on.
Fitzpatrick got a taste of it when he was making that four-feet putt for birdie and victory on the 18th hole. Despite his calm, the world No51 admitted he was “shaking and most nervous ever” in making that putt. The stakes are only going get higher from now on.
One day. Two champions.#DPWTC pic.twitter.com/ntkTKzfJ6B
— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) November 20, 2016
With players like Fitzpatrick, and let’s not forget the runner-up Tyrrell Hatton, who is just 25 and having a career year with wins and solid major performances, European golf is in a good place.
While established stars like Henrik Stenson and McIlroy continue to earn plaudits, these youngsters have won events like the DP World Tour Championship and the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. The other man in the limelight on Sunday was the Race to Dubai winner Stenson.
It was his second European No1 crown, and this will clearly be more pleasing to him. In 2013, towards the second half, the Swede was in awesome form. Everything he touched, turned into gold. He completed a historic double-double – winning the Tour Championship and the No1 honour on both sides of the Atlantic.
And while that season may have brought in a lot more money, just the fact that he became the first Scandinavian star to win a major this year, makes 2016 an unforgettable season. Somebody asked Stenson if he could make 2017 even better?
Rory McIlroy on #HenrikStenson: “He’s been one of the most consistent players in the world for the past ten years” pic.twitter.com/PrfP9OBevG
— Sport360° (@Sport360) November 20, 2016
There are various ways of doing it. Obviously, a major win, or two, is a sure-shot way of making a better year, but the greatest driving force for him would be the world No1 ranking.
Denied once in 2014 when Adam Scott won the Colonial (even a second place for the Aussie would have made Stenson the world No1), that remains the last bastion for Stenson to ensure that his name is remembered as one of the greatest golfers of all time.
