Matt Fitzpatrick Shrugs Off Crowd Pressure at the Players Championship: “I Find It Hilarious”
PEBBLE BEACH, CA - FEBRUARY 13: Matt Fitzpatrick of England tees off on the tenth hole during the second round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am 2026 on February 13, 2026 at Pebble Beach Golf Links in Pebble Beach, CA. Photo by Matthew Huang/Icon Sportswire GOLF: FEB 13 PGA, Golf Herren AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon2602130092
PEBBLE BEACH, CA - FEBRUARY 13: Matt Fitzpatrick of England tees off on the tenth hole during the second round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am 2026 on February 13, 2026 at Pebble Beach Golf Links in Pebble Beach, CA. Photo by Matthew Huang/Icon Sportswire GOLF: FEB 13 PGA, Golf Herren AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon2602130092
Matt Fitzpatrick was on the cusp of a third PGA Tour title. That was until the crowd turned the tide. And while most golfers would find the heckling troubling, Fitzpatrick found it humorous.
Following the fourth round, Fitzpatrick told the media at TPC Sawgrass, “I knew it was coming… I find it hilarious.”
TPC Sawgrass witnessed an influx of more than 200,000 spectators moving around the field. The crowd zeroed in on the final pairing as they battled for the title.
But the crowd at TPC Sawgrass wasn’t as harsh as the one at Bethpage Black. Fitzpatrick said, “Listen, the crowd, that was literally child's play compared to Bethpage. If they think that that was anything, then they need to reassess. Get yourself up to New York.”
He has already experienced such treatment from the crowd once before when he battled Jordan Spieth at the 2023 RBC Heritage. And just two years later, at the Ryder Cup, he battled hecklers. Hence, he wasn’t too surprised at the jeers. Instead, he shrugged it off and continued to swing.
“That's how it is,” Fitzpatrick continued. “I would hope it's the exact same if - well, it probably wouldn't be because we're a little bit more polite in Europe, but I would hope it would be of similar intensity in Europe.”
Nevertheless, Fitzpatrick did his best and shot a 12-under 276 with a round of 68. The Englishman ended up in second position and won 500 FedEx Cup Points and $2,275,000 in prize money.
But when did he know he had a shot at THE PLAYERS Championship?
Matt Fitzpatrick Weighs In on His Performance at THE PLAYERS Championship
“It's easy to say the later in the round, the more likely you've got a shot,” Fitzpatrick claimed. “But I felt like getting 3-under through 4 early was good.”
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He opened the round with a splendid 310-yard drive. And three early birdies got him a front-nine 33. On the back nine, he had to chip and putt on two par-5 holes. While many find it easy to score a one-under at the par-5 16th, Fitzpatrick made only a par. It was certainly “disappointing” for him.
“You do that on 9, you make the turn at 12, and you really feel like you're in it.”
But two quick birdies at the 13th and 14th managed to give him a good lead. By the end of the game, he missed the par putt on the 18th. Meanwhile, Young two-putted for par and won the event.
“I just felt like I did a ton of really good stuff. It's obviously frustrating not to come away with a little bit better.”
Many would blame the near misses on the crowd’s boos. However, Fitzpatrick blamed his own shortcomings. The question is whether he can close that gap in the upcoming PGA Tour events.
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Written by
Krushna Pattnaik
Edited by
Siddharth Shirwadkar