Matt Fitzpatrick’s win at RBC Heritage marks another step in his pursuit of world No.

Matt Fitzpatrick is not the first Briton to beat Jordan Spieth at a golf tournament the second week of April. However, he is almost certainly the best.

Fitzpatrick won the RBC Legacy with a Turn off the 9 iron to the legal teeing distance at the third playoff hole at Harbor Town on Sunday, ending a wild two-week period for him that included a top 10 finish at the Masters and his second PGA Tour career win. After a relatively slow start to 2023 due to injury, it’s been a bit of a reorientation to where I think Fitzpatrick will be at this time of year. This is the second time in 10 months that he has knocked out nearly every top player in the world at a major event. The first, of course, took place last June at the US Open in Brookline.

While it may sound crazy to speak out loud about someone as modest and physically unimpressive as Fitzpatrick, it’s another reason (on a long list) why he could be a golfer. 1 in the world at some point in his career. .

I came up with that idea on Twitter on Sunday, and the response was… interesting. Half of the people answered that, yes, of course he can. The other half looks at me the way Patrick Cantlay looking at Jordan Spieth after Spieth ascended and descends from the 170 yards on Sunday.

In a golfing world that includes Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler and several other superstars, it sounds a bit odd that the meek Matt Fitzpatrick would be the best of that group. However, here are three reasons it could become a reality:

1. Genealogy: Fitzpatrick is one of only 46 golfers to have been ranked number one amateur in the world. Others include Rahm, McIlroy, Spieth and Cantlay – all of whom have just been mentioned for their professional achievements. Fitzpatrick won the US Amateur, made two major tournaments as an amateur, and won a lot. Genealogy is important, and Fitzpatrick’s is extraordinary.

2. Problem solved: The biggest problem Fitzpatrick had as a professional was the lack of length. When he entered the pro scene in 2014, he was too short — too short to really compete for major championships, as evidenced by the fact that he only made it to the top 10 out of 23 professional starts. his first career. Fitzpatrick solved this problem by training his speed and turning a vulnerability into a legitimate power; he’s won half a shot per round at teeing off on the PGA Tour pro on average per season over the last three seasons. Result? Three top 10 hits in his last five major stats, including that US Open win.

3. Continuous improvement: This improvement in drivability is symbolic of his overall ethos, which shows that he has consistently improved more almost every year for the past decade. Here’s the number of strokes he’s hit since 2011, according to Data Golf…

This is a crazy trajectory. It’s only been two seasons of the last 11 that he’s fallen behind, and even then, his most losing streak over the previous year is 1/10 of strokes per round. The desire to be better than last year is the main reason Fitzpatrick will rise to the top of OWGR at some point in his career. There may be no one better at being in his own world and doing his own thing than Fitzpatrick.

“For me, the major leagues are the goal and winning tournaments like this is obviously also the goal,” Fitzpatrick said after the Harbor Town win. “For me, after last year, I just have to play the best I can every week and keep working hard on my game to try and improve.”

This summarizes his views on himself and the game as well as anything. And while many pros are constantly working on their games, not all of them unlock anything that makes you a quarter or a half turn better year after year for a decade.

However, Fitzpatrick does, and that – along with a number of other factors – is why the new world No. 8 will drop that number until, one day, it can’t be reduced anymore. Then he can say unpretentiously that he’s the best in the world at what he does.