Now, he has won two of the biggest golf events in the world on the same court. Nine years after winning the US Amateur at The Country Club outside Boston, Fitzpatrick claimed his first PGA Tour victory at the 122nd US Open on the same course Sunday with a 1-shot win over Will Zalatoris and Masters champion Scottie Scheffler . Fitzpatrick joins Jack Nicklaus as the only male golfer to win an Amateur and US Open at the same court (Nicklaus did so at Pebble Beach in 1961 and 1972). Here are five things we learned at the US Open this week:
1. It was the time of Fitzpatrick
Fitzpatrick became the first player to win his first PGA Tour victory in a major event since Englishman Danny Willett won the 2016 Masters. But it is not that Fitzpatrick had not won as a professional before.
1 Relevant Fitzpatrick, 27, has won the European Tour seven times (now the DP World Tour), including twice at the DP Tour World Championships in Dubai. He had tendencies in the right direction in the big ones, with a draw for 14th place in the Masters and a draw for 5th place in the PGA Championship in Southern Hills last month. The performance in the Southern Hills, perhaps more than any other, proved to Fitzpatrick that he could compete at this level. “As important as it is, it’s very different from a regular PGA Tour event,” Fitzpatrick said. “At the end of the day, it’s very difficult to win. I think until the Southern Hills, I really did not really appreciate how difficult it was to really win a big one. Yes, I have not really questioned until then. “I think, including me, people abroad may think it’s easier than it’s. You just have to look at the Tiger [Woods]. He lost so many in such a short time. That’s why I think people think, ‘Oh, it’s a piece of cake. it’s like a regular Tour event. ‘ But it is not”. And of course, Fitzpatrick’s story at The Country Club provided an advantage that others did not have. He stayed in the same house with the same host family he had in the US Amateur in 2013. “I definitely think it gives me an edge over the others, yes,” Fitzpatrick said the night before the final round. “I honestly believe that. It’s a really, obviously, positive moment in my career. It kind of gave me the impetus.”
2. Rory is the face of the PGA Tour
McIlroy, from Northern Ireland, once again failed to end his eight-year drought without a major championship. He is now 0-for-29 in the major leagues since winning the 2014 PGA Championship in Valhalla. Get access to over 4,300 hours of live coverage from 35 PGA Tour tournaments each year, including four days of coverage in 28 events with four feeds each day. In addition, access repetitions, originals and more. Streaming to ESPN + McIlroy, 33, was 4 and went to The Country Club at the weekend, but had nothing on Saturday and Sunday, at least until very late. He fished birds at No. 14 and 15, but lost good chances in the last two holes. “It’s not a win or a failure,” said McIlroy, who finished fifth in the 2 under. “It’s not like the point I ended up with is the same as not playing at the weekend. I guess when I look back, I’ll remember the fifth place I had at Brookline? Probably not … I played well enough to give myself “I’m not done the job, but I’m closer than I’m been for a long time, which is a good thing.” But McIlroy’s best work came earlier in the week, when he stopped again for the PGA tour. He criticized the younger players who left for LIV Golf because they took the “easy way out” and described their decisions as short-sighted. “I see. Yes, because many of these guys are in their 40s,” McIlroy said. “To Phil [Mickelson’s] case, early 1950s. Yes, I think everyone in this room would say to themselves that their best days are behind them. That’s why I do not understand children who are the same age as me go because I would like to believe that my best days are still ahead of me, and I think they are theirs. So there you feel that you are taking the easy way “.
3. USGA got it right
The Country Club had not hosted the US Open since 1988, when Curtis Strange defeated Nick Faldo in the playoffs. Hopefully USGA will not wait 34 years to bring it back to the club outside of Boston. Michael Collins returns for a brand new season of America’s Caddie. It will take you to the world of golf with exclusive appearances at some of the top golf courses, stories, celebrity guests and interviews with the biggest golf stars. Streaming to ESPN + Overall, the golf course and facility received rave reviews from players. Yes, it was difficult. The wind was swirling, the third part of the rug was deep in the ankle and the grass was small and firm. Rain overnight and less wind prevented the development of typical conditions on Sunday at the US Open. “Apart from the tiny green, I thought it was the best place I’ve played in a long time,” Collin Morikawa said Sunday. “There were only a handful of lessons where I really set foot on a property, and you see it for a while, and then you think you’re going to love it, and that was one of them. There is no BS around. It’s a good golf course. “You really have to plan your way. You have to think about it. I thought it was a lesson you could play quite well and a lesson that could hurt your back a little too fast. I think I got both ends. but overall, yes, I did. “ The USGA has been heavily criticized for its US Open course conditions in the recent past, but give it credit for doing the right thing. Tyrell Hutton did not even complain. “Obviously, the golf course was raining [Saturday], so it was a little more receptive than it was all week, so you probably see lower scores falling in a row, “said Gary Woodland, winner of the 2019 US Open.” The wind has dropped a bit now. It would be interesting if we did not have the rain last night. I think it would be similar to yesterday. But [Saturday] it was what they wanted, and that ‘s what you want in a US Open. It was difficult. Conditions were harsh. “The golf course was built perfectly.”
4. The LIV Golf kids did not have a good week
The US Open rally focused on the ongoing battle for the soul of professional golf between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf, with the breakaway track faced by former No. 1 golfer Greg Norman and funded by its Public Investment Fund. Of Saudi Arabia. The USGA found themselves in a difficult position when PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan eliminated 17 players for playing in the LIV Golf inaugural event outside London last week. Some of these players, including Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson and Kevin Na, had already entered the pitch with exceptions and it would not be fair to fire them after the incident. As soon as the tournament started on Thursday, however, the roster of LIV Golf did not play a very important role. Only four of the 15 players who either competed in the London tournament or have announced that they will play in the next one in Portland, Oregon, entered the US Open. None of those who got stuck at the weekend played very well. Johnson was the top finisher with 4 overs. Richard Blunt of England had 8 overs, Patrick Reed with 10 and Bryson DeSambo 13. This is the problem with LIV Golf right now. Aside from Johnson, the majority of players removed from the Tour are either seniors or shells of their former selves. Reed has not won since January 2021 and has just two top-10s in 20 starts this season. DeChambeau has not won since March 2021 and is returning from surgery on his left hand. He has made just seven starts this season. It was his seventh consecutive finish outside the top 25 in a major, biggest drought of his career. The PGA Tour-LIV golf is not going to end soon. While most top players, including Scheffler, Zalatoris, Morikawa and McIlroy, say they stay with the Tour, a slow release of other players is likely to continue in the coming weeks. LIV Golf is expected to announce the 48-person stadium for the Portland event earlier this week. There is speculation that some notable players may be among the last to leave.
5. Fans still love Phil
The USGA could not have been more excited that Mickelson missed the Masters, the championship he loves most, and the PGA Championship, an event he won in 2021 and became the oldest grand champion at the age of 51. That put the US Open in the crosshairs of Mickelson’s return to competitive golf in the United States. Although Mickelson’s press conference on Monday was quite awkward – he skated around the toughest questions – his reception from golf fans was quite welcoming. Sure, there were a few bucks for money and betrayal, but Boston’s sports enthusiasts in general, who have a reputation for being one of the most entertaining, were very hot with Leffy. Despite the cult, Mickelson had to face a dark reality this week. The days of playing competitive golf against the best players in the world are over. Mickelson made 11 overs in the first two rounds, the fifth worst total of 36 holes in his long career. While we can expect a lot from a 52-year-old who has not played a competitive lap in the US since the end of January, his best days on the track are clearly in the mirror.
