Augusta ambition sees Fitzpatrick heading for Sun City

HAVING earned more than €2m in prize money in his first year on the European Tour, it might seem understandable that April is on Matt Fitzpatrick’s mind.
Sheffield's Matt Fitzpatrick (Picture: PA).Sheffield's Matt Fitzpatrick (Picture: PA).
Sheffield's Matt Fitzpatrick (Picture: PA).

However, the Sheffielder is not thinking about the end of the tax year – it is more a case of Georgia being on his mind.

More specifically, Augusta and the first major of 2016, the Masters.

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The 21-year-old has already played in the event as an amateur, in 2014, following his success in the US Amateur championship the previous year.

Now he is keen to get his first invitation to play there as a professional, which is why he will be taking only a week off before getting his involvement in the new season underway at the Nedbank Challenge, in Sun City, South Africa.

The curtain rang down on the 2014-15 season only two days ago when the British Masters champion’s tie for fourth place in the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai earned him not only a cheque for €256,620, but also a rise of two places in the world rankings, up to 47th.

The top 50 players in the WGR standings at the end of the calendar year will be invited to compete for the Masters, and the Nedbank Challenge – with a €6m prize fund – will offer the chance to earn further ranking points to fuel his Augusta ambition.

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Fitzpatrick was recently introduced to the press after a round at the Turkish Airlines Open as “the human ATM machine “ and it is easy to see what prompted the amusing appellation.

His British Masters victory at Woburn was rewarded with a cheque for around £500,000, almost doubling his season’s prize money.

Having won his first European Tour title in his first full season, it would have been understandable if the Hallamshire member had relaxed, if only subconsciously, and free-wheeled towards the holiday in America next month on which he has promised to take his mother, 
father and brother.

Instead, in five tournaments he has banked almost as much money again as he had in 26 tournaments prior to his breakthrough at Woburn.

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He has also risen to second in the Ryder Cup standings behind only Rory McIlroy – his fellow Sheffielder Danny Willett lies ninth – and has a good chance of meeting another of his stated targets, a place in the EurAsia Cup to be played at Glenmarie G&CC in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from January 15-17.

There, Ryder Cup captain Darren Clarke will lead a European team against an Asian side led by Jeev Milkha Singh.

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