The world of professional golf will inevitably return to the grim domain, which includes Saudi Arabs carrying dollars, players defending the defenseless, and trade organizations struggling to survive. There was an additional reason to appreciate this captivating final of the penultimate men’s tournament for 2022. The Country Club presented the sport in its purest form and just when it was needed.
For Matt Fitzpatrick, a top-notch title. The Yorkshire winner won the US Open on the field, where he won the US Amateur Tournament nine years ago. This Sheffield United fanatic is the Blade of Brooklyn.
Fitzpatrick’s six below par was Will Zalaris and Scotty Scheffler one. The fact that Fitzpatrick and Zalatoris played in the final group added even more to the feeling that they are the ones competing directly. Scheffler, world number one, has never been far away.
Fitzpatrick was understandably excited. “This is what you grow, dreaming of winning, and I’ve worked so hard for so long,” he said. “I had the big monkey on my back that I didn’t win in the United States. That was all that everyone was talking about, and to do it in a specialty, there is nothing better. “
The hesitant start of Zalatoris saw him play the first three holes in two over. Fitzpatrick and Scheffler, on the other hand, seemed inspired. Fitzpatrick birdied 3rd to lead at five less. Scheffler joined him with a bird on the 5th. After Fitzpatrick scored the green at the same short nominal four, he rose to minus six. Zalatoris was four at the time.
Birdies for Zalatoris on the 7th and 9th pulled it off within one of Fitzpatrick and Scheffler. Two opponents suddenly caught a cold.
A Zalatoris bird on the short 11th meant a lead of two shots at six less. And yet with the big championship in the championship comes a lot of championship pressure. He fired a shot on the 12th and carved his drive into the rough on the 13th, from where he could only hit sideways.
Will Zalatoris had a shot on the 72nd green to impose a playoff, but he had to settle for the second. Photo: John David Mercer / USA Today Sports
Drama ensued. Fitzpatrick jumped for joy after converting a 50-foot strike for birds. Unyielding, Zalatoris saved his money from a third of that distance. The duo were now tied at minus 5, with Scheffler missing the opportunity to join the party ahead in a nominal fifth of the 14th Greens.
Fitzpatrick competed with a bird attempt along the 14th hole, but confidently saved a five. Zalaris painfully missed his chance for a four. In what became a tense clash of matches, these players were tied at minus five with four per game. The four under Scheffler were outside, looking inside.
Fitzpatrick’s shot at 15 was wide; but wide enough to find a decent position in the grass trampled by spectators. Zalatoris was unlucky, despite the fact that his shot was not as inaccurate as his partner in the game. Fitzpatrick found the green sands of Zalatoris. The natural result was Zalatoris eggplant. Fitzpatrick’s hard hit runs to the bottom of the glass. Advantage Fitz; of two.
Scheffler enters. A great approach to the 17th put a triple for a bird and reduced Fitzpatrick’s lead to one. Zalatoris also did not surrender, demonstrated with an iron in the 16th just 5 feet from the flag. He pretended to be a bird. Fitzpatrick just had to keep the last two.
The Zalatoris bird’s attempt at the penultimate hole was not as fast as it used to be. Fitzpatrick had a shot for three of his own, but it was also short. Up to 72nd hole; where the Englishman hit his car in a bunker. From there he struck a towering, great iron in the heart of the green. The actions of a champion. Two blows sealed the victory.
Hideki Matsuyama burst across the field with 65 – the lowest score in a round of the tournament – and scored a three-pointer less to give the leading trio food for thought during the final stages. Matsuyama played the inner half of the Country Club for only 32 for fourth place.
As Rory McIlroy rolls in a curling birdie putt on 1st, I hope eternal spring is the first big success in almost eight years. McIlroy equalized in a tough 2nd, but missed a shot in the 3rd, a hole that caused him problems in three of the four rounds. McIlroy’s stormy front nine was approved by a bird on the 4th, a backgammon on the 5th bird on the 6th and a backgammon on the 7th. As McIlroy failed to score five in the 8th pair, his chances of winning were greatly reduced.
With birds on the 14th and 15th, McIlroy was minus two and came back with a light shout. A tee fired into the sand for the second day in a row on the 16th struck the final blow. McIlroy closed with 71 for two less and a draw for fifth. He will consider what it may have been. So did Jon Rahm, who surprisingly made it to the final round of 74. Rahm closed at 12th.
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Colin Morikawa will focus on defending the claret jug with a graceful hand. He left Brooklyn with 66, which gave him the same place as McIlroy. Morikawa will regret the third round of 77; he was nine below par for the other three days. “I thought it was the best place I’ve played in a while,” Morikawa said. “You really have to plan your way here. You have to think about it. I thought it was a field where you could play pretty well and a course that could hurt you pretty quickly in the back. I think I have both ends to it, but overall I liked it. ”
Not half as much as Fitzpatrick.
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