US Open winner reaches brutal verdict of his own | Sports News

Former U.S. Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick has candidly described his present type as “rubbish” following a vital drop within the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR).

Fitzpatrick, who clinched the U.S. Open at Brookline in 2022, has discovered it difficult to make a substantial affect on the PGA Tour for the reason that onset of 2024. The English golfer hasn’t tasted victory in any event for the previous 18 months, inflicting him to slip to No. 75 within the OWGR.

However, Fitzpatrick managed to regain some momentum during the opening day of the RBC Heritage on Thursday, carding a spherical of 66. He adopted this up with a spherical of 70 on Friday and a spherical of 68 on Saturday to sit down on nine-under-par for the event, simply outdoors of the highest 10.

“I think everything was pretty solid today,” Fitzpatrick instructed reporters after his spherical on Thursday. “I felt like I putted really well, chipped it really well, hit my irons where I needed to and hit the fairways where I needed to.”

Fitzpatrick then provided a frank evaluation of his sport. “It’s rubbish, simple as that,” he declared. “It’s been awful. Yeah, it’s been the worst I’ve ever played, in fact.”

He added: “A bit of everything. Every week seems to throw something at me, putting bad or chipping bad. Mostly it’s been the irons have not been good enough, and then obviously that puts pressure on everything else, as well. I’ve actually driven it okay this year, and that’s probably the only positive, but outside of that, everything else has not been good enough.”

Fitzpatrick opened up about his struggles, explaining there have been “a few things going on off the course” and famous: “It’s no one’s particular fault, it’s just the certain circumstances. It’s been hard to kind of figure stuff out technically. I’ve been a little bit on my own recently, and again, it’s absolutely no one’s fault.”

The 30-year-old boasts 10 skilled victories, together with triumphs on the RBC Heritage and Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in 2023, ending that yr within the OWGR high 10. Despite that success, Fitzpatrick has witnessed a sluggish decline in his rating, marred by three missed cuts on the PGA Tour this season and a fortieth place end on the Masters. Adding to his challenges, he break up with his six-year caddie, Billy Foster.

Fitzpatrick’s most notable achievement stays his U.S. Open victory in 2022, edging out Scottie Scheffler and Will Zalatoris by one shot at The Country Club in Brookline, the identical web site the place he claimed the U.S. Amateur title 9 years prior.

When requested about his aspirations for this yr’s Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black in New York, Fitzpatrick responded: “Miles off it. Yeah, I’ve got no interest in that at the minute. That’s not the plan… There’s three majors with plenty of points still up for grabs, still plenty of elevated events and golf courses I’ve played well in the past. I’ve still got to be a little bit optimistic, but there’s no doubt about it, I need to start playing well and making up some points pretty quickly.”