In-demand Fitzpatrick happy to learn the game at his own pace

For someone whose feet have barely touched the floor of late, there is a determination to remain as grounded as possible.

Matt Fitzpatrick was back in Sheffield last night, back at Hallamshire, the golf club that has nurtured this raw talent for the best part of a decade.

The 18-year-old was visiting old friends and members, people who have watched him develop from an earnest young golfer into the new US Amateur champion.

As well as demonstrating his enormous talent this summer by qualifying for the Open, winning the silver medal at Muirfield and then ending 102 years without an English winner of the US Amateur Championship, Fitzpatrick has remained as sincere and well-mannered as he was before this phenomenal summer of achievement unfolded.

His remarkable deeds on the golf course have yet to sink in, and with a Walker Cup debut next week and a four-year golf scholarship at Northwestern University in Illinois beginning the following week, there is little chance for Fitzpatrick to catch his breath, let alone reflect on the memories of Muirfield and Brookline.

“It probably might sink in at Christmas, as daft as that sounds,” laughs Fitzpatrick, who jets back to the US tomorrow, and is unlikely to return to South Yorkshire again until the festive period.

“Since I’ve been back it’s been all go, doing things like this, packing, sorting my visa out.”

Life is changing rapidly for this young man, who has gone from a genuine prospect in golfing circles to one of the brightest young talents in British sport.

Agents are knocking at the door of this summer sensation, particularly the big two on either side of the Atlantic, ISM and IMG.

But they respect the young amateur enough to know he is determined to see out his four years at university before turning professional and going on to the riches and rewards the feats of the last two months suggest he is more than capable of reaping.

He has a strong support network behind him, his father Russell particularly, who remains keen for his son to complete his education.

They have shepherded him as much as possible from the growing clamour around him, but he is already proving to be adept at handling his own affairs.

Last night’s meeting with the local media was arranged by the 
US Amateur champion himself. He even set out the seats in press conference fashion, and laid on tea and coffee. He might not need an agent.

“Life is changing very fast,” he says. “I’m enjoying the new things that have come my way.

“When people start doing well other people come out of the woodwork and you’re like, ‘that’s all well and good but you only want to know me when I’m doing well’.

“So I’ve got to be careful by not letting too much of that happen.

“It was nice to see my mates the other day because they were the ones I grew up with and I’ve been playing golf with all my life.

“I’ve got to be careful not to stray too far away from what I have done to get to this point. I don’t want things to change until, I guess, I make it to the big time.”

Before he could even sample the grandeur of this summer, Fitzpatrick had to plumb the depths.

He lost all confidence in his game as his A-level exams took priority. It had been a similar pattern in each of the previous two years, with the 2011 Yorkshire Amateur runner-up only getting hot after finishing his schoolwork.

He says: “Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d have a summer like this because after my exams finished, my golf wasn’t great.

“I was struggling and had numerous lessons with Mike (Walker, coach). I was thinking, ‘I don’t know how much longer I can work at it’. I was thinking there’s only so many lessons you can have before you think well...

“Then I tried to just enjoy it, and that’s when I qualified for the Open. I still can’t believe I did that (at Gullane). That day was just so surreal. Ever since then it’s just been pretty steady.”

That understatement sums up a young man who greets triumph and despair with a level head.

The silver medal at Muirfield and amateur title in Massachusetts elevated him to the top of the amateur world rankings, a position he does not feel he merits.

“Even now being world no 1, I still don’t think I should be,” he says, before admitting to being confident in his ability when it comes to matchplay.

At Brookline he defeated six opponents in the head-to-head format, and when it was all over, after beating Australia’s Oliver Goss in the final in front of 5,000 spectators, Fitzpatrick celebrated by having a steak dinner with his family at a home they rented.

Casual observers who enjoyed his successes on television might think he needs a bit of meat on his bones if he is to compete in a professional arena where the protagonists resemble rugby players rather than willowy young amateurs. But Fitzpatrick says: “That’s another thing I’ve discussed with Mike, and mum and dad. I’ve got to be careful not to get massive.

“I will try to keep in shape, eat a lot and just grow naturally.”

It seems a lot comes naturally to an amateur who already resembles a model professional.