Matt Fitzpatrick showed his class in Tampa Bay on Sunday afternoon as he birdied the final hole to win the Valspar Championship by one stroke.
Fitzpatrick’s game has come on leaps and bounds over the past month or so, and his win at the Valspar sets him up perfectly for the next few months.
The Englishman endured a disappointing 2025 until the final few months of the season when he earned his way onto the European Ryder Cup team and played a key role in his side’s success at Bethpage Black.
Fitzpatrick owes a lot of his success to his coach, Mark Blackburn, who has helped the 31-year-old improve his iron play beyond all recognition.
The 2022 U.S. Open champion is now flying high on confidence as he heads into the most important stretch of the golfing season.
Fitzpatrick certainly has the game to win another major, and he will now have the confidence as well after his victory at the Valspar Championship.
Why Matt Fitzpatrick was taken by surprise on Sunday at The Valspar
Fitzpatrick began the final round of the Valspar Championship three shots adrift of the leader, Sungjae Im.
In his mind, he probably would have thought he needed a round in the mid-60s to have a chance of winning.
However, the 68 that he shot was good enough to get the job done in the end.
Fitzpatrick spoke to reporters after his round on Sunday and responded when asked when he knew he had a real chance to win at the Copperhead course.
“I missed an opportunity on 1, and I thought, well, that’s going to put me behind the 8-ball straight away,“ the Englishman admitted.
“But I managed to obviously make one on 3.
“By the time we got round to 7 or 8, like, you know, I was still in there. At that point I might have even been tied first. Which was kind of surprising, I thought I might be two or three off the pace still.
“So to be in that position I felt like I needed to obviously settle in on the back nine and try and hit some good golf shots and give myself as many chances as possible.
“I wouldn’t say I did that ideally. I felt I hit a lot of good golf shots, just a little bit out here and there, but scrambled really well.“
Why Matt Fitzpatrick deserves even more praise for his win at the Valspar
The final round on Sunday was a real challenge for the 31-year-old Englishman.
Fitzpatrick was paired alongside Adrien Dumont de Chassart, and he was exasperated by the Belgian’s slow play.
So much so that Fitzpatrick complained to a rules official at the Valspar about just how long Dumont de Chassart was taking over each shot.
The 26-year-old Belgian was given a formal warning in the end, and rightly so.
His snail-like pace must have made it so difficult for the Englishman to concentrate when he was right in the mix to win.
And that’s why Matt Fitzpatrick deserves so much credit for reigning supreme at the Valspar Championship last week.
