Amateur victor following in Luke Donald’s tracks
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England’s Matthew Fitzpatrick took time off baby-sitting duties to comfortably and deservedly pocket the amateurs Silver Medal.
The 19-year-old often earns himself a bit of extra much needed pocket money by looking after a couple of youngsters belonging to a member of his golf club.
A local qualifier from Gullane No.1, the youngster had the golfing week of his life to make the cut and shoot a highly impressive and respectable +10 – five clear of next best amateur Jimmy Mullen.
It was a wonderful effort by baby-faced Fitzpatrick who is now following Luke Donald to study at Chicago’s Northwestern University. He said: “I’m really proud and what it has showed me is that I can sort of compete with these guys.
“But I do know where they are; they are better. The big thing for me that showed today was Fred Couples hit his putter from virtually everywhere. He must have holed two from off the green. He putted fantastic and that’s the difference. They hole the long ones and that’s not quite where I am.”
The Silver Medal winner is in no rush to turn pro, adding: “Going to university is the big thing and mum and dad make sure my education comes first rather than the golf. So I’ll make sure I do my four years at Northwestern and get a good degree, hopefully.
“It’s something to fall back on if the golf doesn’t work out. You never know what could happen. So I’m definitely not going to turn pro anytime soon.”
And he admits it’s not going to be easy to return to ‘normal’ golf and being watched by the proverbial two men and a dog. He smiled: “That will be a little different. I’ll have to keep my eye out for my ball as well because there won’t be any spotters.
