Matt Fitzpatrick carried Scottie Scheffler’s viral remarks from last year’s Open Championship press conference with him, and now he’s putting them to use as he enjoys the best stretch of his career.
During a pre-tournament session at Royal Portrush, the world No. 1 reflected on the fleeting nature of success at the highest level. “It only lasts a few minutes, that kind of euphoric feeling,” Scheffler said last July. “To win the Byron Nelson Championship at home — I literally worked my entire life to become good at golf to have an opportunity to win that tournament. You win it, you celebrate, get to hug my family, my sister’s there, it’s such an amazing moment. Then it’s like, ‘okay, what are we going to eat for dinner?’ Life goes on. Playing professional sports is a really weird thing to do. It really is. Just because we put in so much effort, we work so hard for something that’s so fleeting.”
Scheffler admitted that victory brings a sense of accomplishment but doesn’t “fulfill the deepest desires of his heart.” Fitzpatrick, who was in the middle of rediscovering top form, took those words to heart and promised himself he would savor his next success when it came.
Not long after, the floodgates opened. The Englishman won the DP World Tour Championship in November and has since captured three PGA Tour titles this season, including the RBC Heritage and the Valspar Championship. He and his wife are also expecting a child, and he helped his brother Alex earn his PGA Tour card with a win at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. It has been an unprecedented year for the Fitzpatrick family, and Matt is making a conscious effort to soak it all in.
“I’m trying to cherish it as much as possible. It’s all happening very quickly,” Fitzpatrick said on Monday ahead of the 2026 PGA Championship at Aronimink. “[Scottie’s words] really stuck with me because I was very intent on saying, well, okay, if I’m lucky enough to win again, that I take it in. I enjoy it. I really think about it and enjoy it with the people that it means something to, as well as myself. … It’s about thinking of those moments, those great times that you’ve had, regardless of results this week, last week, next week, whatever it is, it’s making sure you remind yourself of those good times.”
The good times have rarely felt better for Fitzpatrick. When he won the 2022 U.S. Open, he believed he was in a “golden period.” But that was then. Now is a different story. According to Data Golf’s raw Strokes Gained numbers, Fitzpatrick ranks third in Strokes Gained: Tee to Green, sixth in ballstriking, and fourth in approach. His tee-to-green and ballstriking metrics are superior to his 2022 levels, while his approach play remains consistent.
This current surge truly represents Fitzpatrick’s “golden period,” fueled by “curiosity” and “work ethic.” A deep believer in analytics, he seeks every bit of data available. He pores over Trackman numbers to compare them with past seasons, gaining a clearer picture of his game, what he is—and isn’t—getting out of it, and how to push it further. Even while playing the best golf of his career, he constantly hunts for small improvements.
“Looking for those small, small percentages, how does that look, I think that’s ultimately where you’re always trying to go,” Fitzpatrick said at Aronimink. He acknowledges that from the outside, it might seem odd when top players make adjustments while already performing at an elite level. “You always think from the outside, like, why is he doing that? Like, you know, that’s just the way it is.”
