Fitzpatrick, 27, beat his co-star Will Zalatoris with 54 holes in one move and 2022 Masters champion Scottie Scheffler to lift the trophy. Having previously won the 2013 US Amateur at The Country Club, Fitzpatrick added to the USGA squad dramatically with a victory at the 122nd US Open. In this way, he joined Jack Nicklaus and Julie Inkster as the only players to win both championships in the same field, consolidating his place in the history of golf. Fitzpatrick, the No. 18 official Golf World Player of the Year, surpassed Sunday after an already strong season in major leagues. The Englishman previously finished T14 in the Masters in April and T5 in the PGA Championship last month. However, the road was not easy for Fitzpatrick up to this point, and his final lap at The Country Club was a perfect encapsulation of it. Whether he would choose to admit it or not, there had to be doubts as he missed opportunities to win events all these years. A player who has always thrived on the combination of his accuracy and ability, Fitzpatrick came in 2022 as a completely renewed player. This was evident this week as the name of the game for Fitzpatrick was consistent. While others came out with very low laps early in the tournament, he made 2 under in the first 36 holes with a yoke of 70 on Friday before posting a second 68 on Moving Day to get the co-leader. Fitzpatrick was up and down the front of Sunday Nine, and two bombers to start the back indicated he would be sitting outside again for a trophy presentation. A short miss in par-4 10th followed an unexplained three-pointer in short par-3 11th. A quick three-year swing with Zalatoris breathing down his throat could have left Fitzpatrick upset. A career full of close conversations could have added another, but instead of withering, Fitzpatrick began to thrive. An emphatic bird in par-4 13th put Fitzpatrick back in a share lead with Zalatoris at 5 under. Two holes later, after losing the Fairway, Fitzpatrick scored one of the best iron blows of the day to create a birdie look in the long par-4 15th. With Zalatoris in the lead, Fitzpatrick walked in his third and instantly snatched a two-year lead. Although Zalatoris and Scheffler both reached one after scoring, Fitzpatrick never gave up. After exchanging parity with Zalatoris for the accessible 17th, Fitzpatrick went to the 72nd hole with a one-way and made the only mistake you could not make when he found the Fairway bunker outside the shirt. He took it to the chin, following the mistake with a decisive shot for the career in the green that created his triumph at the US Open. Fitzpatrick lost an 18-foot bird kick to win, but Zalatoris lost a similar 14-foot haircut as Fitzpatrick scored his third 68th in the tournament and his first victory in the PGA Tour. The US Open is often and rightly described as “the toughest test in golf”. Most people think that this is because of the circumstances. They certainly play a role, but the mental challenge posed by the USGA far exceeds them. The race at the US Open is really a train of emotions and a small mistake can be one’s downfall. Fitzpatrick had his share of errors on Sunday, but got the punches as champion. In the process, he rejected the nickname they had been chanting for so long, silencing them by challenging him and reigning at the top of the sport with the national championship trophy. CBS Sports will be updating this breaking news soon.
