Nov 20, 2016: Matthew Fitzpatrick continued his remarkable rise by claiming his third European Tour title on a dramatic final day of the 2016 season at the DP World Championship, Dubai.
The 22 year old Englishman took advantage of Tyrrell Hatton’s bogey on the 18th hole with a closing birdie to swap positions with his compatriot at the top of the leaderboard, with his final round 67 sealing a one stroke victory.
Fitzpatrick only claimed his maiden European Tour title 13 months ago at the British Masters supported by Sky Sports, but since then he has also won the Nordea Masters and featured in his first Ryder Cup at Hazeltine National.
His victory at Jumeirah Golf Estates now means he is the youngest Englishman to win three European Tour titles, beating Sir Nick Faldo’s previous record from 1980 by a margin of 220 days.
The win also earned Fitzpatrick the biggest pay day of his fledgling career – a cheque for €1,217,174 – and moved him into sixth position on the final 2016 Race to Dubai Rankings presented by Rolex, a spot securing him a further €319,509 as part of the top ten Bonus Pool.
“I love playing golf obviously but it’s been a long year for me, and I’ve got to admit, this is just icing on the cake. As a year goes, it’s been a great one.
“I had a rough idea (what happened to Tyrrell) on the last. I saw that he had missed a putt and there were a few groans in the crowd. But it wasn’t until I saw the scores and that I knew what I needed for the win. Tyrrell, he’s a great lad, he was just coming down and I saw him as I was walking into the scorer’s and he said congratulations. For someone to do that after he’s been in contention is very special. He’s a credit to the tour.
“This win means the world. To win one of these Final Series events is really special, and this one in particular, being the last tournament of the year is special. Words can’t describe it. It’s not going to sink in for a while. But you know, it’s been a special year and then to end it like this with a win is amazing.”, said Matthew Fitzpatrick.
Meanwhile, Hatton’s only bogey of the day on the last meant he ended the year with a round of 68, but the Alfred Dunhill Links champion’s second place finish behind Fitzpatrick meant he replaced Rory McIlroy in fourth position on the Race to Dubai. The top spot in the season-long contest went to Henrik Stenson for a second time in four years following the Swede’s final round of 65, which meant he finished alongside McIlroy in a four-way share of ninth position on 12 under par.
European Tour Release
