By Nick Totten, europeantour.com
At Zhailjau Golf Resort
Fans of the European Challenge Tour will know the names of the men battling it out around the world each week but few will understand just how the professionals go about finding their best form when on the road, so europeantour.com spoke to former US Amateur Champion Matthew Fitzpatrick to find out just how he manages his game.
With players on the second tier spending so much time away from home and often left to their own devices when it comes to maintaining their games, it is key that they do so as efficiently as they can in an attempt to peak their form as often as possible.
For Fitzpatrick, his talent is without question, with his domination of the amateur ranks having earned him the opportunity to show the wider world what he is capable of on some of the game’s grandest stages.
History shows however that the path from the unpaid to the professional is never a simple one to traverse, and it is therefore essential that proper processes are put in place to ensure the auspicious talent of this Sheffield native is maintained, and indeed improved upon.
At just 20 years of age Fitzpatrick is only young, but time waits for no man – as someone wiser than us once said – so he has favoured simplicity and sticking to what got him to where he is today over any perceived need to bow to professional pressure and change how he approaches the game.
Week to week
“There’s nothing in particular that I focus on, and it is something that varies week to week. If you have putted well the week before you might not do much of that the following week, or perhaps you’ll do a little more to keep it in check. Whereas if you’ve driven it well or perhaps poorly then you might spend time on that, or your irons, it just depends really.
“You always have particular drills that you have been given by your coach to do on a day-to-day basis, which might be that you always warm up with putting and by getting the mirror down to check your basics are in line, but it is very variable.
“I have struggled the past couple of weeks on the greens so I have been working hard on that in practice to try and get it better for this week, as it is a particularly important tournament for me as someone who doesn’t have a status on the Tour.
Teachers
“I’m lucky to have two coaches – well one, but they both teach the same stuff – in Pete Cowan and Mike Walker, and I have spent a lot of time with them, and have worked with Mike for four or five years now.
“They are both the best in the business and I’ve been lucky enough to have them the past couple of weeks in Switzerland and Holland where I’ve just played. They are always out on The European Tour, and with my invites I have managed to see them. Out here it is a little bit different as I’m not able to see them, but we are coping alright so far.
Tournament build-up
“It depends, as this week has been a bit different, with getting here. I’ve not played in the Pro-Am, and it was an awkward flight getting in, which means it varies. If I’m not playing on a Wednesday then I’ll usually have a relaxing lie-in and practice all afternoon, or start early and finish early.
“Tournament days I keep it very simple though, I just go through my warm up and try not to do anything too technical beforehand, as it is just about getting loose and feeling where your swing is. I just like to take a feeling out to the course from what I have felt on the range beforehand, so if I am hitting the draw then I’ll go with that for the day, and vice versa.
“If it is a little tighter off the tee I might hit a few more drivers in my warm-up, or if the greens are raised and you need more flop shots or bump and runs then I’ll hit more of those beforehand too.
“There’s nothing too particular for this week, and for me – as easy as it sounds – it is just about working on keeping the ball in play, hitting the greens and holing some putts.
Keep it simple
“It sounds simple, but you can always try and overcomplicate things by trying too hard or trying to hit fancy shots. You might maybe try and hold one up, or perhaps hit a fade into one flag and end up missing the green, and you wonder why you didn’t play to the centre of the green and try and hole the putt. So it is just about trying to keep it simple and not get too far ahead of yourself.
“I’ve just tried to keep it the same as in my amateur days, just doing the best I can and enjoying it still. That’s the thing I need to keep in my mind, to enjoy it, considering there can be pressure to change things when you turn pro.
“What I did in amateur golf got me to where I am, not that I’m saying I’m anybody yet, but I have done alright and managed to get myself here. I don’t want to change the things that got me here just because I am a pro now.”
