BROOKLINE, Mass. – This year’s US Open begins as the setting for an unprecedented duel between golfers still loyal to the established PGA Tour and a group of seperated former colleagues who recently joined new rebellion. LIV golf series powered by Saudi Arabia. But the much-anticipated showdown at the Country Club outside Boston broke out in the first round on Thursday as golfers from both teams got along with no friction.
Players affiliated with LIV Golf also lacked due to the early dispute.
By Sunday, the ongoing divide in men’s professional golf was largely unresolved, but it was overshadowed by a thrilling final round shootout between three of the outstanding young players. best in the sport: Matt Fitzpatrick, 27 years old, British and American 25 years old. Will Zalatoris and Scottie Scheffler.
Finally, Fitzpatrick, who won the American Amateur Award at Country Club nine years ago, he survived the big game, claiming his first win at a major golf championship and on the PGA Tour with a fourth-round record of 68 that left him under six points in the tournament. Fitzpatrick earned $3.15 million for the win.
Zalatoris and Scheffler completed a hit back.
The big moment, as is often the case in major championships, came when Fitzpatrick stood on the final tee of the 72-hole tournament, lasting four days with a one-stroke lead. Known for his meticulous precision – he has for years charted the finite details and results of every stroke he hits in competition – Fitzpatrick has missed just two fairways so far in his match.
But his three logs on the 18th, 444-yard par-4 were ripped to the left and landed in the center of a yawning bunker just off the fairway. His ball was 156 yards from the hole, set on a plateau green protected in front by a cave bunker that has ruined a golfer’s rounds for decades.
As Fitzpatrick later said, he struggled to hit hits beyond fairway bunkers all year.
“That’s where I don’t want to be – number one on that list,” Fitzpatrick said.
But Fitzpatrick, who finished fifth at last month’s PGA Championship and 14th at this year’s Masters, has a wealth of golfing experience. Furthermore, he felt comfortable all week as he only has happy memories of playing at the Country Club because of his 2013 US Amateur win.
“I’m a quick player, and when I look back, it all happened so fast,” he said of his second shot after 18 minutes. “It was like letting nature take over. ”
He pulled a 9-iron from his bag and imagined himself as a junior player again.
“I thought: try to hit it really close,” said Fitzpatrick, smiling.
The blow shot past the dangerously high edge of the bunker he was in and over the top of the vast bunker guarding the green number 18.
“It was amazing to watch, who knew right away that he would almost certainly make a par, which he did with two cautious putts,” said Fitzpatrick.
Zalatoris, Fitzpatrick’s playing partner, had a 14-foot birdie in 18th, which could have set up a playoff. But the shot drifted less than an inch to the left of the hole.
The win, which was Fitzpatrick’s first on American soil (he has won seven international events), could be a breakthrough for a quiet and well-known player in professional golf. Over the past year, Fitzpatrick, currently 10th in the world men’s golf rankings, has worked tirelessly on the course to increase swing speed, resulting in longer distances and often lower scores. Quiet and unpretentious, Fitzpatrick also has an easy-going smile but hides a period of fierce competition.
Late Sunday night, Fitzpatrick admitted just as much.
“Even though it doesn’t happen, because I like to be pretty discreet, I just like beating people up,” he said. “It’s as simple as that. Just love wins. I want to beat everyone.”
While the third round took place in strong wind conditions that made the pitches firm and fast – and produced only seven rounds in even conditions – compared to Sunday’s conditions were benign.
As a result, the course can become more aggressive, especially if a tee hits the fairway.
Zalatoris begins the day led with Fitzpatrick at four under par but faltered early when he booked three shots from 67 feet below the second hole for a bogey. Then, on the next hole, he hit a second shot into a grassy bunker, resulting in a second shot in a row. But Zalatoris rarely showed fluster. He stabilized himself with three pars in a row, and on the par-3 sixth hole, 158 yards long, he hit his tee 2 feet from the flag for an easy birdie. Zalatoris’ approach shot to the par-4 seventh green from 164 yards missed the green and rolled just an inch to the left of the hole. His hit sent him back to 4th under par for the round. When Zalatoris sunk a 17-foot birdie putt on the ninth hole, he hit under five, just one stroke behind Fitzpatrick.
After a steady par on the 10th hole, Zalatoris played it smartly and safely on the downhill par-3, which played for only 108 yards on Sunday (with the extremely difficult back left hole position). ). Zalatoris left his tee shot under the hole and rolled an 18-foot putt to send the birdie below par six, giving him the lead in the league at the time. But a missed fairway on the 12th tee resulted in a missed green and ultimately a bogey.
After seeing Zalatoris fall to five points, Fitzpatrick struck. Standing over his 48-foot birdie putt on the 13th, he swung the putt from left to right slowly but confidently into the hole to tie Zalatoris.
Like everyone at the top of the leaderboard on Sunday, Fitzpatrick’s round featured inconsistencies. He started strong with three shots and two birdies in his five openings. But his tee shot on the par-3 sixth hole was way too long, going over the 66-foot hole, resulting in a fool. Fitzpatrick recovered with a comfortable birdie in the round of 16 but like many on Sunday, he was unable to maintain positive momentum. He stumbled on the 10th hole when his second shot didn’t extend enough of the green and resulted in another hit. Then, the diminutive 11th Fitzpatrick tormented Fitzpatrick when a seven-foot par putt slipped through the hole for the second straight shot.
Scheffler appeared to take the command lead in Saturday’s tournament with nine glittering fronts, but then beat them all with a bogey sequence on the back nine. On Sunday, Scheffler carved the nine fronts again, with four birds in his first six holes.
But Scheffler’s hit dropped him nine points after he duped the 10th and 11th holes when he needed three shots to get the ball into holes on both grass courts. That leaves him underrated by 4 points for the tournament. Scheffler continued the battle with five consecutive pars from the 12th to the 16th.
