Matthew Fitzpatrick’s confirmed his status as of one the brightest lights among England’s growing roll call of young talents with a nerveless victory in the European Tour’s final event of the season, the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.
The 22 year old from Sheffield once again showed that he possesses a wise, old head on young shoulders, when holing out nervelessly for a birdie on the final hole on Jumeriah Estate’s Earth Course to beat fellow Englishman Tyrrell Hatton by a single stroke, after an epic battle over the back nine on Sunday.
Fitzpatrick started his final round one shot behind overnight leader Victor Dubuisson, but he made gains at the second and third holes to jump to the top of the leaderboard.
Fitzpatrick dropped into a tie for the lead when Hatton notched back-to-back birdies at the fifth and sixth to join him on 14 under. But the Sheffield native rolled in his ten-foot birdie putt at the long seventh to regain the outright lead. Hatton began his back nine with a birdie to join his countryman at the summit once more, and when Fitzpatrick dropped a shot at the same hole, he found himself in second place.
But Fitzpatrick responded in style, firing birdies at the 11th and 12th to share the lead with Hatton on 16 under.
Hatton regained the lead when he holed his birdie putt from four feet at the 14th and he pulled off a tremendous par save from the bunker at the 17th to stay ahead. But after sending his tee shot into the water at the last, Hatton made his first bogey of the day to fall back to 16 under and open the door for Fitzpatrick. And after getting up and down from a greenside bunker, Fitzpatrick nervelessly holed his four-foot birdie putt at the last to produce a closing 67 and take the title.
Hatton finished alone in second on 16 under, with Charl Schwartzel another two strokes back in third after picking up four shots in the last five hole. Henrik Stenson posted a 65 to take tied seventh and clinch his second Race to Dubai title, while Rory McIlroy also shot a closing 65 to get to 12 under and match the Swede’s finishing position.
Fitzpatrick was thrilled to finish his season on a high. He said: “To win one of these Final Series events is really special, and this one in particular – the last tournament of the year. It’s been a long year, but it’s been a great one. It’s actually two years to the day that I got my Tour card. When I think about that, it is crazy. Two years ago, I was just getting on the Tour and I was happy to keep my card. Everything has just happened so fast. The 18th green was the most nervous I’ve been over a four-foot putt, ever, in my career. You need to pull it off and fortunately, so far so good. It won’t always work out that way.”
Hatton remained focused on the positives, despite missing out on a second European Tour title following his win at the Dunhill Links. He said: “Obviously it’s a bitter pill to swallow, but it’s been a great week and for me it’s been the best year of my life. So I can’t get too downbeat, but these things happen. You know, it is what it is and I’m happy with how the week went. I’m sure hopefully in the future, I’ll take my next chance.”