Matt Fitzpatrick flying Sheffield flag on golf’s biggest stage

The 29-year-old from Hallamshire has already made his mark on the world stage, but those who knew him from his early days in the city’s golfing circles say his South Yorkshire roots remain at the heart of everything he does.

Stephen Burnett, England Golf Deputy Performance Director, remembers a driven teenager whose determination outweighed any physical disadvantages.

“The first things I think of when people ask me about Matt are that he was a young, enthusiastic lad and very proud of his Sheffield roots,” said Burnett.

“He has always had a great supportive family around him.”

Burnett recalled his first involvement with Fitzpatrick, when the Tapton School pupil played at under-16 level for England.

“Matt was very steady, committed to everything, and was always a great putter,” Burnett said.

“Even back then he was one of the players that was a dream in that respect. He bought into that side of the game and understood why he needed to do it.”

That attention to detail and determination to improve paid off quickly.

Fitzpatrick first made his mark at Boys level, winning the R&A Boys Amateur Championship before pulling off the extraordinary feat of capturing the U.S. Amateur title in 2013 - the first British winner in 102 years.

“Winning the U.S. Amateur gets you into The Masters and The U.S. Open,” Burnett said. “I didn’t see that coming.”

It proved the launchpad for a career that has taken Fitzpatrick from local promise to world-class competitor.

He has since won multiple European Tour titles and, in 2022, achieved his greatest triumph by lifting the U.S. Open trophy at Brookline, Massachusetts

“When Matt won the U.S. Open, there were amazing pictures of his mum, dad and brother, as well as his caddie Billy Foster losing it on the final green,” Burnett said of the Sheffield United fan.

“When it all dawned on Matt that he was U.S. Open champion, that still gives me goosebumps to think about.”

The Ryder Cup represents another level of pressure and prestige.

Held every two years, the competition pits Europe against the United States in a contest steeped in tradition and passion.

Unlike the solitary grind of the professional circuit, the Ryder Cup is all about team spirit, with careers often defined by what happens across three intense days of golf.

For European players, success in the Ryder Cup is a badge of honour. Legends such as Seve Ballesteros, Nick Faldo and more recently Rory McIlroy have written their names into golfing folklore through their performances.

Now Fitzpatrick has the chance to further his own story.

Burnett admits that the Sheffield golfer’s record in the Ryder Cup is not yet strong, but believes this could be the year he makes a breakthrough.

“Heading into the Ryder Cup, Matt’s recent form is looking good for him,” he said.

“Matt hasn’t got the best record for Europe but this year, I certainly hope we’ll see more from Matt in terms of points return. It will be really interesting to see how Luke Donald uses Matt.”

The parallels between captain Donald and Fitzpatrick are clear, Burnett added.

“You see in Matt a lot of the stuff that we saw in Luke five or ten years before,” he said.

“A fantastic putter, not the longest hitter, gritty. Luke and Matt would come out of the same kind of mould.”

Fitzpatrick’s rise from a promising junior at Hallamshire Golf Club to a U.S. Open champion and Ryder Cup mainstay is already a story to inspire the next Sheffield generation.