Matt Fitzpatrick proves faster than Nick Faldo in winning third Euro title

sheffield'S Matt Fitzpatrick brought down the curtain on a remarkable year for Yorkshire golfers by overhauling Nick Faldo to become the youngest Englishman to win three European Tour titles.
By The Newsroom
Published 20th Nov 2016, 22:00 BST
Updated 21st Nov 2016, 13:26 BST
Matthew Fitzpatrick of England celebrates after he won the final round of the DP World Tour Championship golf tournament at the Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)Matthew Fitzpatrick of England celebrates after he won the final round of the DP World Tour Championship golf tournament at the Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)
Matthew Fitzpatrick of England celebrates after he won the final round of the DP World Tour Championship golf tournament at the Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)

Fitzpatrick won the DP World Championship, the season’s climax in Dubai, in a dramatic finale that saw him birdie the final hole to swap positions with Tyrrell Hatton, who bogeyed it.

The 22-year-old’s victory – with rounds of 69 69 66 67 – meant that Sheffield finished with two players inside Europe’s top six for the 2016-17 season, with Masters champion Danny Willett, who also hails from the Steel City, placing second behind Race to Dubai winner Henrik Stenson, the Open champion from Sweden.

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“I had a rough idea (what happened to Tyrrell) on the last,” said Fitzpatrick, who lifted a cheque for more than £1m two years to the day since he won his European Tour card. “I saw that he had missed a putt and there were a few groans in the crowd.

Matthew Fitzpatrick of England holds the trophy after he won the final round of the DP World Tour Championship. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)Matthew Fitzpatrick of England holds the trophy after he won the final round of the DP World Tour Championship. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)
Matthew Fitzpatrick of England holds the trophy after he won the final round of the DP World Tour Championship. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)

“But it wasn’t until I saw the scores that I knew what I needed for the win. Tyrrell, he’s a great lad; he was just coming down and I saw him as I was walking into the scorer’s (office) and he said congratulations. For someone to do that after he’s been in contention is very special. He’s a credit to the tour.”

Willett, who started the week 299,675 points behind Stenson, tied for 50th in the 60-man field while the Open champion shared ninth place.

Full report: Page 9.

Related topics:Danny WillettEnglishmanYorkshireEurope