PORTRUSH, Northern Eire – All-time low got here at The Gamers Championship in March. Matt Fitzpatrick’s ball-striking woes had been constructing for a while but it surely was the PGA Tour’s flagship occasion the place the usually analytical-minded Englishman ran out of solutions.
“That’s the bottom I’ve been, I felt, in my profession. Statistically it could possibly be the worst run that I’ve performed as nicely,” Fitzpatrick recalled. “I simply didn’t really feel good or know the place it was going.”
Fitzpatrick misplaced strokes to the sector off the tee, along with his strategy play and on the greens on his approach to a missed lower at TPC Sawgrass and issues weren’t significantly better in his subsequent begin.
However slowly, with assist from new swing coach Mark Blackburn, Fitzpatrick began to return to acquainted patterns and the fade that he prefers to play, and in April on the RBC Heritage, his confidence started to return again as nicely.
“That’s once I noticed Mark for the primary time, and type of with recommendation from my trainers — it was on how my physique is, I’ve actually lengthy arms, in order that’s obtained to be factored in what we’re engaged on,” Fitzpatrick mentioned. “At that time, type of the whole lot modified, with my strategy play, anyway.”
He’s completed inside the highest 10 in his final two begins, together with a tie for fourth final week on the Genesis Scottish Open as a tune-up for Royal Portrush, the place he opened with a 67 in blustery circumstances for a share of the early lead.
On the 2019 Open performed at Royal Portrush, Fitzpatrick completed tied for 20th for his finest end within the sport’s oldest main championship.
“The Open venues haven’t essentially been nice to me. I’ve not essentially been enjoying nice once I’ve come right here, both,” he mentioned. “I like this golf course. I believe it’s a very reasonable check. It rewards good golf photographs. Generally hyperlinks doesn’t do this to you, and there’s loads of programs that we play or I’ve performed at hyperlinks golf that don’t essentially do this.”
