Matthew Fitzpatrick eased to victory at the Nordea Masters in Sweden to claim his second European Tour title and boost his chances of making his debut appearance in the Ryder Cup, in what would only be his second season as a professional.
The 21-year-old from Sheffield had a five-shot lead going into the final round at Bro Hof Slot Golf Club, but dropped a shot at the 10th, which followed an eagle at the ninth by closest challenger Nicolas Colsaerts, which saw his lead slip to just two shots with eight holes to play.
But a birdie at the 12th, followed by four dropped shots from the Belgian, saw Fitzpatrick enjoy a four-shot lead going down the last. A conservatively-played bogey at the par four hole saw him finish with a one-under par 71 – 16 under for the week – and three shots ahead of runner up Lasse Jensen from Denmark, whose high finish earned him a place in next month’s Open Championship at Royal Troon.
The win sees Fitzpatrick regain third place in the Ryder Cup qualifying race. With the top four in that list qualifying for the competition, which starts on September 30 in Hazeltine, Fitzpatrick overtakes Chris Wood, who won the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth.
At 21 years and 278 days, Fitzpatrick became the youngest winner of the Nordea Masters, and the second youngest Englishman to record his first two European Tour victories after Sir Nick Faldo.