There was noise.
As they walked to the 17th green, you could hear it. USA. USA. USA. “It has a little bit of a Ryder Cup feel to it,” the announcer said Dan Hicks said on the NBC broadcast. On the 18th, you heard things again, though this time it was some teasing towards the English Matt Fitzpatrickwho was all square with the American Cameron Young on the 72nd hole Players Championship played in TPC Sawgrass in, yes, the US.
But there Fitzpatrick laughed.
After all, he said afterwards, that was all only the noise He said he was used to it – though he said you probably wouldn’t hear it in his house.
But has it affected the game?
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Notably, on the 17th, Fitzpatrick had a one-stroke lead over Young, then Young made a birdie par with Fitzpatrick on the famous par-3 island green. Then, after shots on the 18th, Fitzpatrick pushed his ball right and into the straw, and he holed out as Young parried, giving Young the players’ crown.
But when asked about his thoughts on the crowd and whether it affected him in the end, Fitzpatrick said he’s heard things before — and heard worse things. He named the unruly crowds at last year’s Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black in New York, along with what appeared to be his victory at the 2023 RBC Heritagewhich was won in a playoff against American Jordan Spieth.
Below is Fitzpatrick’s full response:
“Listen, crowd, this was literally child’s play compared to Bethpage. If they think it was anything, then they need to reevaluate. Go up to New York.
“Listen, that’s the way it is. That’s the way it is. I would hope it would be exactly the same if – well, maybe it wouldn’t be because we’re a little more polite in Europe, I would say, but I would hope it would be of similar intensity in Europe.
“I knew it was coming. I had it with Jordan Spieth in 2023. Yeah, it’s funny to me. I think it’s funny.”
As for the shot on 18, Fitzpatrick said he believed he pushed it a little but thought it would be fine. He had seen Young just hit par with a wind coming in from the right and thought his ball would do the same – but it “just went straight” and into the rough.
“Once you’re out of position,” Fitzpatrick said, “it’s hard to match.”
Still, the bogey was one of two he made on the day, against six birdies. His bogey on 13 gave him the lead, then another on 15 helped him recover from a bogey on 14. All added up, Fitzpatrick said he was encouraged. There has been progress under coach Mark Blackburn.
Soon, he said, he thinks he’ll make his own noise.
“I was telling my psychologist last night,” Fitzpatrick said, “I feel like I’m pretty good at putting myself between 15 and 5. I don’t feel like — I don’t feel like I’m in enough positions between five and first. I feel like if I can do that, which is obviously easier said than done, then I believe I’ll win more.
