Matt Fitzpatrick just won his second RBC Heritage title. The World No.3 is on top of his game at the moment. However, in his early days, his father, Russell, was unsure of his golfing career.

Fitzpatrick became just the fourth Englishman to win multiple times in a PGA Tour season after Justin Rose, Nick Faldo and Luke Donald. The RBC Heritage title was also his second in over a month's time, following the Valspar Championship. 

But before these accolades, Fitzpatrick revealed his father worried about his future.

"If he turns pro after one year and it doesn't work out, and he doesn't have a degree, if he's just a flash in the pan, then what does he go with?" Matt Fitzpatrick's dad said back in 2014.

In late 2013, Matt enrolled at Northwestern University to play college golf with the Northwestern Wildcats. During his time, he played in five tournaments and was the co-champion of the Rod Myers Invitational at Duke University.

Fitzpatrick also recorded a third-place finish at the Windon Memorial Classic to help Northwestern win the tournament.

However, after one semester, he dropped out to focus full-time on his golf career. Safe to say, his decision has paid off. 

“I left Northwestern because I felt I had more than a few opportunities that I simply couldn’t turn down and may not have again.” Fitzpatrick said in an interview in 2014. "All in all, I weighed the pros and cons of being in school, and I felt as though the best use of my time was focusing on my future."

In 2013, Fitzpatrick won the U.S. Amateur, which earned him invitations to the 2014 Masters Tournament, U.S. Open, and Open Championship. 

“Leaving school allowed me to practice golf full time. It effectively became my job- I wasn’t getting paid, as I was still an amateur, but I was a full-time amateur,” he said back in 2014.

Fitzpatrick's professional debut came at the 2014 Irish Open, after which he featured on the European Tour and Challenge Tour, playing different events through sponsor and tournament invitations. 

Down the years, Fitzpatrick has made his name in the sport.

Matt Fitzpatrick’s Success

After the win at Hilton Head, Fitzpatrick reached a career-high world ranking of No. 3. 

He defeated No.1 Scottie Scheffler in a playoff in the RBC Heritage. The crowd chanted "USA, USA" in the backdrop.

"It didn't get out of line in terms of no one was shouting on backswings or anything like that, which was great. I'm all for it," Fitzpatrick said. "However, there's no better feeling than coming out on top against that. To describe it in my terms it's kind of winning away against your biggest rival."

In 2022, Fitzpatrick claimed his first major title, the U.S. Open, at The Country Club in Brookline. It was the same venue where he won the U.S Amateur in 2013.

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Written by

Avishek Sarkar

Edited by

Shubhi Rathore