One of the coaches who helped shape the development of Matt Fitzpatrick says he sees a lot of the Sheffield-born major winner in current European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald.

The 31-year-old Yorkshireman was sent out in the morning foursomes yesterday alongside Ludvig Aberg, with Donald himself a revered player in the alternate-shot format in his Ryder Cup days.

Stephen Burnett, England Golf’s deputy performance director, said: “You see in Matt a lot of the stuff that we saw in Luke Donald five or ten years before.

"A fantastic putter, not the longest hitter, gritty. Luke and Matt would come out of the same kind of mould.”

Matt Fitzpatrick of Team Europe ahead of his fourth Ryder Cup (Picture: Mike Egerton/PA Wire)

placeholder image — Matt Fitzpatrick of Team Europe ahead of his fourth Ryder Cup (Picture: Mike Egerton/PA Wire)

And Burnett went on to recall Fitzpatrick’s journey during his younger days, remembering the diligence and determination of the young Yorkshireman who is enjoying a stellar career that includes a major championship at the US Open, 10 other wins worldwide and not four Ryder Cup appearances.

Burnett added: “The first things I think of when people ask me about Matt are that he was a young, enthusiastic lad and very proud of his Sheffield roots. He has always had a great supportive family around him. Matt was keen, eager, with a willingness to learn.

“He might not have been the tallest or strongest, or someone that struck you as being the next best thing, but he made fantastic, steady progress and got into the England teams at all levels. He first came into the counties level in the Yorkshire region as a promising boy.

“My first involvement and interaction with Matt was when he played at under-16 level for England. Matt was very steady, committed to everything, and was always a great putter.

Matt Fitzpatrick of Team Europe during a practice round at the Bethpage Black Course in Farmingdale, New York (Picture: PA)

“He’s famous for his data and recording all his shots, even back then he was one of the players that was a dream in that respect.

“He bought into that side of the game and understood why he needed to do it. He recognised what he got out of it and what he needed to work on.

“At Boys level, he always performed well and was high in the rankings, and then when he did win the R&A Boys Amateur Championship, the British Boys Amateur, that was a fantastic achievement. That’s the pinnacle of Boys golf. When he went on and won the U.S. Amateur a year later, that was a dream. It was unbelievable.

“We hadn’t had a British winner in over 100 years.

Matt Fitzpatrick and performance coach Steve Robinson.

“When Matt came into the Yorkshire region, there was a coach called Steve Robinson who was the Yorkshire coach but was also one of our national coaches.

“That partnership kicked off then and Matt still works with Steve from a performance coaching point of view. He really bought into what his coaches wanted him to do.

“He was responsive to all their action plans, he came with enthusiasm. He attended all the sessions and went above and beyond with thank you letters afterwards, which you get from guys who really appreciate what you’re trying to do for them.

“He wasn’t blessed with fantastic physical gifts that some naturally talented athletes have. He had to work really hard at his craft.

“During the covid period, where he got back on board with Steve Robinson, the data indicated that if he was going to compete or win at Major Championship level, he needed to find a little more yardage and swing even quicker.

“He started a programme two or three years ahead of when he won the U.S. Open in 2022. He is someone who will do whatever it takes to achieve what he wants.”