Matthew Fitzpatrick was told his 'attitude was a disgrace' prior to his maiden major championship win at the US Open this summer. Fitzpatrick wrote himself into golf's history books in June after becoming US Open champion at Brookline, the very same course where he won the US amateur crown nine years prior.
The Englishman put in a hard-fought performance on the final day of the championship to see off Will Zalatoris by one single shot to claim his maiden major - and PGA Tour - win. Just two months before though, the Sheffield star was given a brutal home truth from his caddie Billy Foster.
In the first major of the campaign at The Masters, Fitzpatrick's performance was far from the one that saw hime become champion at Brookline, as he missed the cut at Augusta National in April.
Speaking to Golf Digest , the US Open champion revealed that afterwards his caddie did not hold back when discussing his poor performance at the famous Georgia course. "He [Foster] wanted to have a word. I had no idea what was coming," Fitzpatrick commented.
"I pay Billy to tell me things like that when necessary. He’s been around for so long I’d be stupid not to take heed. And I did. What he said really hit home. From then on, my attitude changed.
"I started working again with Robbie Anderson, my sport psychologist. I didn’t want to be like that anymore. I didn’t want to come off the course feeling angry and frustrated." Whilst Foster's comments may well have come across harsh, Fitzpatrick revealed the brutality from his right-hand man has put him on the right path, especially after his US Open triumph.
He went on: "Since the US Open my attitude has been completely transformed. I feel a lot happier. I don’t want to be a results-driven person, which I’ve been in the past. And I’m not resting on any laurels. I’m just happier with everything, on and off the course. I’m more relaxed."
Fitzpatrick will find himself at the centre of golf's civil war this week when he heads to Wentworth for the BMW PGA Championship alongside 18 LIV Golf rebels. Ahead of the tournament, the Englishman admitted it is going to be 'weird' playing alongside those who chose to defect to the Saudi-backed series.
"'It's going to be odd seeing certain people, obviously, at Wentworth," Fitzpatrick said. That is going to be a bit weird, and obviously it's a little bit disappointing. But they won their little thing. It's going to be interesting to see what happens. Obviously they're [the DP World Tour] not quite in as strong a position as the PGA Tour are in terms of regulations or whatever it is. Yeah, I guess we'll just have to see how it plays out."
