BROOKLINE, Mass. – Will Zalatoris can’t resist looking at Matt Fitzpatrickball’s.
He and Fitzpatrick were heading towards their tee shots on The Country Club’s 18th hole on Sunday. The madness is not all around them. The US Open was hanging in the balance. Thousands of rowdy fans just flooded the fairway, and now Boston police officers are trying – and failing – to keep the crowd behind the ropes. Fitzpatrick, clinging to a one-ball lead, tried to keep his head down as he navigated the lap, but he still managed to be swallowed up by the crowd. It took three cops in the end to clear the way for him.
Zalatoris continued his march. Fitzpatrick’s tee shot was somewhere in the bunker to the left of the fairway, and Zalatoris wanted to know exactly what problem Fitzpatrick was having with his approach. His ball is on the fairway, and he’s not sure if he needs a birdie or a par to get into the playoffs. What Zalatoris saw gave him a glimmer of hope. Fitzpatrick’s ball is nestled in a shallow part of the bunker, partly blocked by a rugged island. It will require a little miracle to get it to green.
“I thought that even continuing it would be bad,” said Zalatoris. “Probably 1 in 20 – at best – to pull it off.”
Suddenly, a point could send Zalatoris into a playoff. One bird can win the tournament outright. A mixture of tension, fear and excitement swirled in the air.
Fitzpatrick, when he finally got to his ball, saw it similarly. To put it bluntly, this is a moment. Whatever happens next could haunt him or fulfill him for years to come. He talked about his options with his advocacy officer, Billy Foster. He pulled out a 9 iron and aimed a hair to the left. It’s time to believe in all that has brought you to this moment.
He took a few deep breaths, rocked the club a few times, then started hitting the swing. It all happened so fast, the dense crowd was still whispering as if caught off guard as Fitzpatrick pulled the club back. But the sound of the bat when it connected to the ball rippled through the air like a whip.
Fitzpatrick watched as it climbed and darted through the air, drifting gently to the right, then heard a roar as it plunged out of the sky and nestled behind the peg. Zalatoris was almost unbelievable.
“To get there in that situation is unbelievable,” said Zalatoris. “When they show highlights from future US Opens, that’s a shot that will be shown. Because that’s awesome.”
The US Open wasn’t officially over until Zalatoris nearly missed a birdie at number 18, giving Fitzpatrick a chance to celebrate his first big shot after his par. But the hit to the bunker was one that would become part of US Open lore, one that showcased Fitzpatrick’s combination of grit and genius. He hit 17 out of 18 greens in his last 68 round, a single thing Nick Faldo (Master 1996) and Brooks Koepka (US Open 2017) has been successful in the past 30 years of professional tournaments.
Zalatoris and Scottie Scheffler (who drew Zalatoris for second after the final 67) threw hay at him all afternoon, each earning a partial lead at a time, but Fitzpatrick – who grew up in Sheffield, a steel town of the working class in Britain — endured it all.
“It was one of the best shots I’ve ever taken,” Fitzpatrick said. “Honestly, I’ve really struggled with fairway bunker shots all year. I’m a quick player, and looking back, it all happened so quickly. Natural ability just took over. just me. played the stroke within reach. It came out as a kind of fade in. It was amazing.”
It would be a bit of a stretch to consider 27-year-old Fitzpatrick a weak student, although his braces should get him through as a teenager at most British high schools. He won the US Amateur at The Country Club in 2013, played for three Ryder Cup teams for Europe and won the European Tour seven times.
But before Sunday, he had never won the PGA Tour and had only won two top 10 spots at major championships. He felt like the kind of golfer who was always subject to his own physical limitations, a bantamweight in the ring with middle and heavyweights. He can punch higher than his weight class, sometimes, but no one expects him to hit the ball off the tee.
But slowly, that’s exactly what started to happen, especially this year. Fitzpatrick’s ball speed has steadily increased to the point where it is now similar (175 mph) to that of Justin Thomas (176 mph) and Dustin Johnson (177 mph). On Sunday, he regularly appreciates Zalatoris, which he says has given him a boost of confidence every time he steps to his ball.
“I don’t know if you guys noticed, but I feel like [Fitzpatrick] “I played with him in Austin this year, and he didn’t hit as far as he is now,” said Scheffler. I don’t know what he’s doing. Maybe he’s on the Bryson show or something. He hit it very well. He definitely deserves to win this golf tournament. “
Fitzpatrick giggled when informed of Scheffler’s comments and couldn’t resist considering Bryson DeChambeau as a little digging.
Fitzpatrick quipped: “I just had a drug test and it came back negative.
Fitzpatrick has revealed that since 2020 he has been working hard with his team, trying to become stronger and faster. Some of his progress has been derailed by injury, but things have really started to take off lately.
“Honestly, it worked wonders,” says Fitzpatrick. “Perhaps three years ago, if I was in this position and played with Will in the last group, I worry that I would be 15 or 20 days behind him all day. I feel comfortable knowing I will surpass him. , that definitely gave me confidence to go into the next shot. When you hit it over, it’s obviously pretty.”
However, the moment Fitzpatrick took control of the tournament turned out to be a combination of patience, bravery and a bit of luck. He and Zalatoris – 5 under 5 – had to wait nearly 10 painful minutes on the 15th tee, a pause so significant that Zalatoris began to stretch as if he were training. Take a yoga class for beginners. Finally, when they were cleared to hit, Fitzpatrick steered well on the fairway. Zalatoris hit a ball much better, looking as if it would nestle into the short grass. But when they made their tee shots, Zalatoris’ ball was buried in the void; Fitzpatrick’s is sitting clean, in an area trampled by crowds.
“I didn’t realize how far it went in the right direction,” Fitzpatrick said. “I should have shouted first, so I hope it doesn’t affect anyone there. But funny, I feel like all year we just had those moments where we weren’t broken. . Not a lie, no. a bounce, and this time I went there and the ball was sitting perfectly.”
Fitzpatrick ripped the towering 5-gang from the perfect lie from 220 yards. He knew it was cool, and it was located 18 feet from the hole.
“One of the best shots I’ve taken all day,” he said.
Zalatoris performs a trick from the front bogey. Suddenly Fitzpatrick had a putt to take a two shot lead with three holes to play.
He rolled it right into the cup.
He couldn’t resist following it with a rough punch. He has long felt despised and dismissed in the golf world, and now this is a major championship within his grasp. He advanced to the next tee with a fiery jump in his stride.
“My parents always taught me to be humble and humble,” says Fitzpatrick. “If they don’t bring me back to earth, my friends will still be. It’s always been me. It doesn’t matter how well I’m playing. But I’m always competitive. And I just love to win. I’m completely finished. I just love to win I don’t care who it is, I just want to beat everyone That’s it. I just love to win.”
