Riding the “golden” era, Matt Fitzpatrick relies on the viral words of Scottie Scheffler

Newton Square, Pa. Matt Fitzpatrick heard Scottie Scheffler’s Viral Message during last year’s pre-tournament press conference at the Open Championship and dismissed it. Ahead of the championships at Royal Portrush, the world No. 1 got existential talking about it quick feeling of success at the highest level.

“It only lasts a few minutes, this kind of euphoric feeling,” Scheffler said last July. “To win the Byron Nelson Championship at home — I’ve literally worked my whole life to get good at golf to have a chance to win that tournament. You win it, you celebrate, you get to hug my family, my sister there, it’s such a great moment. Then it’s like, ‘OK, what are we going to have for dinner?'” Life goes on.

“Playing professional sports is a really weird thing. It really is. Just because we’ve put in so much effort, we work so hard for something that’s so temporary.”

Scheffler said that while the win gives him a sense of accomplishment, it doesn’t “fulfill the deepest desires of his heart.” Fitzpatrick, who was in the midst of getting back into top shapetook Scheffler’s words to heart and vowed to approach his next wave of success differently whenever it arrived.

A few months later, the doors opened for Matt Fitzpatrick. He won the DP World Tour Championship in November and has won three times on the PGA Tour this season, including RBC legacy AND The Valspars. He and his wife are also expecting, and he helped his brother, Alex, earn his PGA Tour card with a win in the team event, the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. It’s been an unprecedented year for the Fitzpatricks, and Matt has made sure he doesn’t take the joy out of this time.

“I’m trying to appreciate it as much as possible. It’s all happening so fast,” Fitzpatrick said Monday before 2026 PGA Championship in Aronimink. “(Scottie’s words) really stuck with me because I really meant to say, well, ok, if i’m lucky enough to win again, i’ll take it. I like it. I really think about it and enjoy it with people who mean something to him as well as myself. … It’s about thinking about those moments, those great moments that you had, regardless of the results this week, last week, next week, whatever it is, it’s making sure you remind yourself of those good times.”

Good times are here for Matt Fitzpatrick. They have never been better. When he won the 2022 US Open, Fitzpatrick thought he was in his “golden period”. But that was it then. now it is different. According to Raw Data Golf Hits Earned FiguresFitzpatrick ranks third in Strokes Gained: Tee to Green, sixth in putts and fourth in approach. His green and ball numbers are better than in 2022 and his approach game is the same.

This is the “golden period” of Matt Fitzpatrick. It is born out of “curiosity” and “work ethic”. Fitzpatrick is a firm believer in analytics. He wants every ounce of data he can find. He examines the Trackman numbers to compare them to different years of his career in order to better understand his game, what is and isn’t coming out of it, and how to take it to the next level. He is always looking for small advantages to improve, even when he is playing the best golf of his career.

“Looking for those small, small percentages, what does that look like, I think at the end of the day you’re always trying to go,” Fitzpatrick told Aronimink. He knows it can look crazy from the outside when players at the top of their game make changes to try to improve. “You always think on the outside, why is he doing this? You know, this looks so stupid,” Fitzpatrick said. But these “small wins” are the key to taking the best golf of your life and making it better. At the highest levels, the difference between winning and losing is in decimal points.

So Matt Fitzpatrick looks to every corner of his game to push himself forward. But he also understands that golf is not linear. Stretches of good play, like this one now, often lead to downfalls. There are ebbs and flows. Rough and smooth. He is willing to deal with it as he looks to push the boundaries of his game.

Earlier this season, Fitzpatrick felt it coming. He hit it well to start the season on the West Coast, but couldn’t make the game. All indications were that he was hitting it the best he ever had. He felt it. Next came a narrow loss to the Players. Then the dam broke and he “cashed in” his steady game with three wins in four starts. He is now ranked fourth in the world and arrives at the PGA Championship in fine form to add a second major.

Fitzpatrick likes to look at the charts on Data Golf that show the arcs of players’ careers. He knows he will eventually hit a rough patch; this is golf. But the inevitability of a dip doesn’t mean Matt Fitzpatrick is feeling extra pressure this week to ensure the best golf of his career leads to the most coveted prizes. Matt Fitzpatrick is methodical and addicted to process – one defined by years of data. He’ll just stick to what gave birth to this “golden” era and let the chips fall where they may.

“I wouldn’t say I put any more pressure on myself. I definitely know the situation I’m in, even before I play well – I know how my game is, the way I do. I don’t think it’s a case of putting more pressure on myself,” Fitzpatrick said. “So if anything, it’s still trying to make it happen.”

And make sure you don’t let the moment slip away too soon if it hits Aronimink this weekend.