Just Like Matt: Fitzpatrick Dashes the French Team’s Dreams

Heading into the final round of the French Open, Matt Fitzpatrick held a four-stroke lead, and on the final day at Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, he solidified his lead, authoritatively managing the closing stages of the 108th edition of the tournament. Matthieu Pavon also had a great round, posting the day’s best score of 64 and climbing to a tie for third place at -15, a position he shared with Tom Vaillant, who finished with a 70.

French golf was hoping for a Sunday to remember, perhaps with Vaillant following in the footsteps of Thomas Levet, the last French player to win the FedEx Open de France in 2011. Victory didn’t materialize, but Vaillant and Pavon still gave the home crowd plenty to cheer about.

It was Matt Fitzpatrick, above all, who dashed the French hopes, managing his lead with great experience. The world No. 4 completed the final round in 70 strokes, carding only pars on the first twelve holes before making birdies on the 13th and 15th and a closing bogey on the 18th.

Despite some difficulties with his long game, Fitzpatrick found his decisive weapons in his short game and on the green, finishing the day with 27 putts. Eugenio Chacarra had managed to close the gap to two strokes behind the Englishman after the first nine holes, while in the end it was Angel Hidalgo who claimed second place at -17.

Fitzpatrick thus added another major victory to his career, which also includes the 2022 U.S. Open, two Ryder Cups, and five PGA Tour wins—three of which came this year.

The Briton commented on his victory: “It’s incredible to win here, where great names like Nick Faldo and Severiano Ballesteros have triumphed in the past. I’m pleased to be able to add my name to this list of champions. On the final round, I tried to strike a balance between attacking and playing it safe. There was no reason to lose strokes unnecessarily by taking too many risks, even though sometimes it can be dangerous to play too cautiously.”