Catching up with Matt Fitzpatrick in Abu Dhabi

GM's Jezz Ellwood chatting to Matt Fitzpatrick on the range at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship
(Image credit: Paul Severn)
Jeremy Ellwood
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Jeremy Ellwood catches up with 2014 Q School graduate and 2013 US Amateur Champion Matt Fitzpatrick at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship

Back in 2013, we were just about to run an article on Matt Fitzpatrick after visiting Hallamshire, his home club in Sheffield, to meet the people who had been influential in his early days. Matt was heading off to Uni in the States on a scholarship and would be thinking about turning pro after that. The day before we went to press, word came through that there had been a change of plan, and that he would be returning home to turn pro immediately. Cue hasty rewrite!

When I spoke to him on the eve of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, I quizzed him about that change of plan and his excellent top five finish in South Africa the previous week…

What sparked the change of mind about university?

It was just the opportunities that I had. Winning the US Amateur opened loads of different doors and it was difficult to turn them down really.

You weren’t enjoying the studies?

No, I loved it – I absolutely loved it in the States. There were no complaints whatsoever on that front.

What was Q School like for you?

It was good. It was long though – it’s a long week and it’s tough, but it was great to get through. I played really well and was really pleased. It was nerve-wracking but I just tried to take one shot at a time and do as well as I could.

Do you know how many starts you’re likely to get this year?

I’ve not really had a look to be honest so we’ll just have to wait and see.

Last week was a pretty good start though – right in the thick of it?

Yes, it was! It was great and I absolutely loved it – a great experience and I learned a lot. I hope I can do it again soon.

Matt running into trouble on the 13th hole during the final round in South Africa

Matt running into trouble on the 13th hole during the final round in South Africa

I noticed a five-shot turnaround on the par-5 13th between Saturday and Sunday (eagle then treble!). What happened there?

It was a bit of an unlucky bounce that sent it through the green. I took a drop, messed about a little bit and then chipped it into the water. Just one of those things really!

 

 

Jeremy Ellwood
Jeremy Ellwood
Contributing Editor

Jeremy Ellwood has worked in the golf industry since 1993 and for Golf Monthly since 2002 when he started out as equipment editor. He is now a freelance journalist writing mainly for Golf Monthly. He is an expert on the Rules of Golf having qualified through an R&A course to become a golf referee. He is a senior panelist for Golf Monthly's Top 100 UK & Ireland Course Rankings and has played all of the Top 100 plus 91 of the Next 100, making him well-qualified when it comes to assessing and comparing our premier golf courses. He has now played 1,000 golf courses worldwide in 35 countries, from the humblest of nine-holers in the Scottish Highlands to the very grandest of international golf resorts. He reached the 1,000 mark on his 60th birthday in October 2023 on Vale do Lobo's Ocean course. Put him on a links course anywhere and he will be blissfully content.

Jezz can be contacted via Twitter - @JezzEllwoodGolf

Jeremy is currently playing...

Driver: Ping G425 LST 10.5˚ (draw setting), Mitsubishi Tensei AV Orange 55 S shaft

3 wood: Srixon ZX, EvenFlow Riptide 6.0 S 50g shaft

Hybrid: Ping G425 17˚, Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro Orange 80 S shaft

Irons 3- to 8-iron: Ping i525, True Temper Dynamic Gold 105 R300 shafts

Irons 9-iron and PW: Honma TWorld TW747Vx, Nippon NS Pro regular shaft

Wedges: Ping Glide 4.0 50˚ and 54˚, 12˚ bounce, True Temper Dynamic Gold 105 R300 shafts

Putter: Kramski HPP 325

Ball: Any premium ball I can find in a charity shop or similar (or out on the course!)

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