Matt Fitzpatrick's 'If It Isn't Broke, Don't Fix It' Attitude Helped Him Shine at the $25M Event
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FL - MARCH 15: Matt Fitzpatrick of England lines up a putt on the 15th hole during THE PLAYERS Championship on March 15, 2026 at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fl. Photo by David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire GOLF: MAR 15 PGA, Golf Herren THE PLAYERS Championship EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon260315051700
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FL - MARCH 15: Matt Fitzpatrick of England lines up a putt on the 15th hole during THE PLAYERS Championship on March 15, 2026 at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fl. Photo by David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire GOLF: MAR 15 PGA, Golf Herren THE PLAYERS Championship EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon260315051700
Matt Fitzpatrick finished as runner-up at the prestigious PLAYERS Championship as he made quite the comeback in the final round at TPC Sawgrass. And there's one secret behind his runner-up finish.
This success can be attributed to an important gear shift. Fitzpatrick had returned to a putter that he had had a lot of career success with. He swapped out his mallet putter for his old blade putter to give him an edge in the competitive Florida swing.
Fitzpatrick remarked about this decision, "My make rates sort of between 5 to 15 feet were much better with the blade, and that kind of convinced me to go back. If it isn't broke, don't fix it."
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FL - MARCH 15: Matt Fitzpatrick of England plays a shot on the 15th hole during THE PLAYERS Championship on March 15, 2026 at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fl. Photo by David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire GOLF: MAR 15 PGA, Golf Herren THE PLAYERS Championship EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon260315051633
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FL - MARCH 15: Matt Fitzpatrick of England plays a shot on the 15th hole during THE PLAYERS Championship on March 15, 2026 at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fl. Photo by David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire GOLF: MAR 15 PGA, Golf Herren THE PLAYERS Championship EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon260315051633
And it's had a clear result. This season, the Englishman had recorded four top-25 finishes before the Major. His performance at what is often called the 'fifth major' demonstrated that his game is starting to peak.
At the pre-tournament press conference, Fitzpatrick described a time when the numbers on his putting stats with a mallet showed no visible improvements, and made him consider whether he should go back to his old faithful putter. He had won with the mallet in Dubai and during the Ryder Cup, but the blade gave him more consistent results.
Despite this, Fitzpatrick couldn't get over the line at the PLAYERS, slipping up on the final few holes. However, the putting strategy might just make a difference in the long run as Fitzpatrick learns just how tough the Tour can be.
Will He Use the Same Strategy at The Masters?
After a runner-up finish, all eyes are on Fitzpatrick for the first major of the year. The highest ranking finishers at PLAYERS are expected to be top-performers at Augusta.
That's why we think Fitzpatrick will likely stick to this strategy for the major as well. It has been a slippery slope for him at the event, considering he has not come close to finishing within the top 10 in years.
This time, however, he needs to make sure he makes it all the way and overcomes the troubles he faced at TPC Sawgrass.
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Written by
Abhishek Sharma
Edited by
Siddharth Shirwadkar