Matthew Fitzpatrick (69) is T16 at RBC Heritage
19 Apr 2014
by AmateurGolf.com Staff
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HILTON HEAD, South Carolina (April 19, 2014) -- Matthew Fitzpatrick fired a bogey-free 69 at the difficult Harbor Town Golf Links to move up 15 spots into a tie for 16th at the RBC Heritage Classic.
After a pair of 71s helped him easily make the cut on Friday, Fitzpatrick -- who missed the cut at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March and the Masters last week -- was pleased with the improvement.
“Obviously delighted, really happy,” Fitzpatrick said after his round on Friday. “Disappointed, as well, in that I doubled 16. Just hit one bad out of bounds and caused a double there, just one of them things. No, happy to make the cut, and first PGA Tour event I've made, and around my favorite course. So yeah, it's all good."
After winning the U.S. Amateur last year and playing for GB&I at the Walker Cup, Fitzpatrick followed in the footsteps of Luke Donald and enrolled at Northwestern University in Illinois before withdrawing to pursue amateur golf full time. With his consistent play, maturity beyond his 19 years, and the success of other young players like Jordan Spieth, turning pro is inevitable. But first there is the U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2, a major for which he is exempt as long as he remains an amateur. (The U.S. Amateur victory comes with that stipulation.)
"I've not got any plans to turn pro in the immediate future. It could be after U.S. Open, could be after the British Open, could be next week. You just don't know, really.”