European Tour rookie Matt Fitzpatrick, the youngest player in the field, on Sunday showed the old stagers a thing or two by easing to a two-stroke triumph at the US$4.55 million British Masters.
The 21-year-old Englishman was locked in an enthralling race for the title with Soren Kjeldsen of Denmark until pressing the turbo-charge button on the back nine and accelerating away from the field to finish with a 68 and a 15-under total of 269.
Fitzpatrick, who had held or shared the lead all week, snared successive birdies at the 11th and 12th before rolling home a 20-foot birdie effort at the 15th and turning to the crowd to celebrate with a double fist-pump.
The former world amateur No. 1 effectively sealed his maiden tour win with a laser-guided tee shot to three feet at the short 17th and could even afford the luxury of a dropped shot at the last on a sunny, but cold, autumnal day at Woburn.
Kjeldsen looked as if he would make Fitzpatrick fight all the way to the 18th, but his bid was undermined when he took three putts from 30 feet at the 15th and followed up by slicing his drive straight up against a tree at the next hole.
The Dane ended up with a 69 for 271 and had to settle for a share of second place with Ireland’s Shane Lowry (67) and Paraguay’s Fabrizio Zanotti (69).
“It is not going to sink in for a long time,” Fitzpatrick told the presentation ceremony after picking up a check for US$755,000, doubling his earnings for the season. “It was a long day and I did not really know what I had to do to win, but I just sort of ground it out. It was a great day.”
More than 57,000 fans attended the four days, with the tournament returning to the circuit following a seven-year absence.
“The fans have just been incredible to me and unbelievably supportive, and I cannot tell everyone how appreciative I am of that,” Fitzpatrick said after becoming the youngest winner of an event that has been on the tour since 1972.
“Walking down every hole it is: ‘Come on Matt’ and it is amazing to have that support,” added Fitzpatrick, who moved from 111th in the world rankings into the top 60.
Kjeldsen, who won the Irish Open in May, said he found it difficult to read the putting surfaces.
“I played great today, but I struggled on the greens,” the 40-year-old said. “I am extremely pleased how I played, but disappointed how I putted.”
“It has been an absolutely brilliant week, a great venue, great atmosphere, fantastic facilities. It is just a joy to come here and I cannot wait to come back,” he added.
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