Matt Fitzpatrick says he is entering The Masters in good form after identifying the “missing link” in his game that helped him claim the Valspar Championship.
The 31-year-old rebounded from heartache at The Players — where he led by one shot after 16 holes before a par-bogey finish saw him overhauled by Cameron Young — to pick up his third PGA Tour title with a closing birdie from around 14 feet at Innisbrook Resort. He edged David Lipsky by one shot, adding to his major win at the 2022 US Open and the RBC Heritage title in 2023.
Fitzpatrick praised his approach play, which he sees as the key improvement. “My irons are just so much better — better control, better distance control, better accuracy left-to-right. Hitting the shape that I want to hit,” he said, singling out a productive session with coach Mark Blackburn that he felt made a big difference over his last seven rounds.
“I knew going into [round four of the Valspar Championship] that I was first in approach play for the first three rounds. I don’t know where I ended up finishing but that’s a big difference from where I’ve come from in the past,” he added. He stressed that while his short game, driving and putting have generally been good, approach play “always felt like it was the missing link.”
On the upcoming first major of the season, Fitzpatrick was upbeat but measured. “I’m probably going to win! No, no! I mean, I’m obviously very confident in my game right now. But what it takes to win a major is very different to what it takes to win on the PGA Tour, in my opinion. Particularly the Masters. There’s extra pressure there, no matter who you are. It just has that standing above all the other events, as well as the majors.”
He said he’s “delighted with where my game’s at” but still wants to fine-tune things before arriving at Augusta, where his best finish is a share of seventh in 2016. “I want to make sure when I get to Augusta I’m ready that Thursday morning.”
Watch The Masters live on Sky Sports from April 9-12. The next PGA Tour event is the Texas Children’s Houston Open, live on Sports Golf from 12.30pm on Thursday. Stream with NOW.