HOYLAKE, ENGLAND | That Russell Fitzpatrick was glowing on Saturday afternoon was not down to the abundance of sun and wind over the first couple of days at the 151st Open Championship. Rather, it was about his sons, Matt and Alex, aged 28 and 24, respectively, and how they were both on the upper reaches of the leaderboard. Alex had followed an opening 74 and 70 with a 65 to be 4-under par, while Matt was just two behind.
“We couldn’t be more proud,” said Russell, who joins his wife, Susan, in seeing themselves as thrice-blessed in having such talented and hard-working sons.
By way of explaining Matt’s work ethic, you only have to go back to 2016 when, in preparing for his first appearance in the Ryder Cup, he played 13 tournaments in 15 weeks. Having conceded that he had probably been trying “too hard,” he explained he had never known what it was not to try: “Since I’ve tried my hardest in every round I’ve ever played, I can’t suddenly stop.”
Alex has handled things a little differently from Matt. Having watched his brother winning the U.S. Amateur, he knew precisely what he wanted to do in life.
And how tickled his father must have felt when he spent rather longer at his American university than Matt, who did just the one semester at Northwestern. Though Russell had hoped Matt would stay on and get his degree, Pete Cowen, Matt’s then coach, said his golf should come first. A year on, and Russell was agreeing that he had been the one in the wrong.
Alex started at Wake Forest in 2018, he stayed until ’22, a decision which was no doubt made easier by the fact that Rachel Kuehn was playing golf alongside him. Last week, she was following him every inch of the way at Hoylake, and this week, Alex will be watching her in the Amundi Evian Championship, an event to which she has been given a sponsor’s invite.
Inevitably, the media wanted to know about Alex’s plans after his 65 on Saturday, and, yes, the possibility of his winning the Claret Jug got a mention. In keeping with his brother’s modest ways, he mentioned it would be the stuff of dreams before adding, “a million top players are still ahead of me.” That said, he owned to dream foremost in his mind being one of moving on from Europe’s developmental Challenge Tour, where he began his professional career last year.
Matt, for his part, kept reminding his media audience that his average finish in seven previous Opens was no better than a tie for 40th.
On Saturday, (Matt) had switched from any hopes he may have had for Sunday by addressing such themes as the redesigned par-3 17th hole – he thought the hole had been better as it was – and, somewhat improbably, the World Amateur Golf Ranking.
He said it should not be used in the selection of amateur teams.
At which point he was asked if he would like an administrative role when he stopped playing.
The answer was in the affirmative. “I’d love that,” he said. Primarily, he thought he could help with England Golf, an organisation in which he and his brother had not been overly involved because they had preferred to have their own people around them back in their native Yorkshire.
Nigel Edwards, England Golf’s performance coach, could not have been more interested in what Matt had to say. On Sunday, he made the point that not everyone had to be a member of the England squad to be a member of an England team, and that what England were offering in the way of squads was never going to be right for everyone. He then went on to say that England would “absolutely value” Matt’s opinion on what could be better. “We’d love to have him involved.”
It seemed Matt’s only proviso was that he wouldn’t want anything in the way of paperwork.
Back to Sunday’s golf. Once again, it was Alex who had the upper hand as he moved to 3-under par in his first five holes, as Matt was out in 37 about to collect his second 6 of the day at the 10th to plummet from 2-under par to the 2-over tally at which he finished. Alex, for his part, finished the championship on 2-under.
Matt, who tied for 41st, would have had no trouble in shrugging off a poor day at the office. Instead, he would be sharing in Alex’s good fortune with a tie for 17th.
Russell, meanwhile, has an interest in his offsprings’ professional career, which extends way beyond their play. Such is this former banker’s love of figures that he keeps abreast of the points being handed every week of the golfing year. “Can’t stop myself,” he said with a laugh.
Lee Westwood’s father, a math teacher, has never been any different.
E-MAIL LEWINE
Top: Matt (left) and Alex Fitzpatrick pose for a photo before the start of the 151st Open Championship.
Stuart Franklin, R&A via Getty Images