Southampton (United States) (AFP) – England’s Matt Fitzpatrick has already enjoyed three confidence-boosting triumphs this season, so it’s no wonder he likes his chances of capturing his second US Open crown in five years. World number four Fitzpatrick birdied two of the last three holes on Friday to grab a share of second at Shinnecock, four strokes behind leader Wyndham Clark at the 126th US Open. A birdie putt from just inside 10 feet at the par-five 16th and a 13-foot birdie putt at the 18th gave him a level-par 70 to stand on three-under 137.
“In a really nice position going into the weekend. You can’t really ask for too much more really,” Fitzpatrick said. “A couple of things I want to hopefully clean up for the weekend to feel a little bit more confident, but on the whole, it has been a really good two days.” The 31-year-old Englishman knows how tough Shinnecock can be for a chaser with gusting winds, dense rough and difficult greens.
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“He’s got a four-shot lead. That sounds much nicer than being four behind,” Fitzpatrick said. “It’s a golf course that can beat you up pretty quickly. You have to stay patient, but if you’re chasing, you can’t really afford too many mistakes.” Fitzpatrick leaped into the lead in the third round of his 2022 US Open victory at The Country Club near Boston. This season has seen him finish second at The Players Championship, then win the PGA Tour Valspar Championship in March, the Heritage tournament in April, and share the PGA pairs crown with brother Alex in New Orleans, allowing Alex to earn PGA Tour membership. Add a runner-up effort in the PGA Canadian Open last week, and it’s easy to see where Fitzpatrick gets his confidence.
“Definitely feel more confident,” he said. “I’ve always had belief in myself with what I can achieve. Doing that this year already, some of the stuff that I’ve ticked off and played so well, has obviously only added to that.” Fitzpatrick is staying with his brother this week, although they haven’t shared much on the event.
“I saw him for about two minutes last night after the round. I went straight to bed and I’ve not seen him,” Matt Fitzpatrick said. “(Wake-up) was four for me this morning. I can’t complain. I play golf for a living.” Fitzpatrick has found greens trickier, with organizers slowing putting surfaces to avoid having balls unable to hold the green in the high winds at Shinnecock.
“Steep uphill putts are extremely slow, but the steep downhill putts are extremely fast,” he said. “With how much slower the greens are than a normal US Open, I would say it’s quite a contradiction to your feels when you’re out there. For the most part at a US Open, it’s not like you can go flag hunting. Some of these greens with where they have to put the pins, you have a little bit more of a chance because most of them have to be pretty central just because of how slopey the greens are. Hopefully (I’ll) make a few putts from distance and see where it ends up.”
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