Matt Fitzpatrick is embracing his role as the underdog as he heads into the weekend at the 153rd Open Championship just one shot behind world No 1 Scottie Scheffler.
The Englishman will tee off in Saturday’s final pairing alongside the in-form American after firing a five-under-par 66 on Friday at Royal Portrush to move to nine under for the tournament.
The 2022 US Open champion, who slumped to 85th in the world earlier this year – his lowest ranking in a decade – is quietly building momentum after finishing eighth at the PGA Championship and fourth at the Scottish Open last week.
“There’s nothing better than being in contention,” Fitzpatrick said. “It feels a bit uncomfortable at the time, but that’s what you’re searching for.
“You want to feel that. It means you’re doing something right for the most part. Obviously the aim is to stay in it for as long as possible and hopefully pull away right at the death. I’m 50% there. We’ll see what the weekend brings.”
Fitzpatrick will be bidding to become the first Englishman since Nick Faldo in 1992 to lift the Claret Jug. But standing in his way is a dominant Scheffler, who carded a sensational second-round 64 and came within inches of matching the new course record of 63.
Scheffler is on a remarkable streak of 10 consecutive top-10 finishes, including three victories and a third Major title at the PGA Championship.
REPORT: Scheffler storms into Open lead at Portrush
Fitzpatrick compared the Texan’s current form to the dominance once shown by Tiger Woods – who remains the only player to win The Open while ranked world No 1.
“He’s going to have the expectation to go out and dominate,” said Fitzpatrick. “He’s an exceptional player. He’s world No 1, and we’re seeing Tiger-like stuff.
“I think the pressure is for him to win the golf tournament. For me, I hope I’m going to have some more home support than him, but it’s an exciting position to be in, especially given where I was earlier this year.”
<span data-mce-type="bookmark" style="display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;" class="mce_SELRES_start"></span><span data-mce-type="bookmark" style="display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;" class="mce_SELRES_start"></span><span data-mce-type="bookmark" style="display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;" class="mce_SELRES_start"></span><span data-mce-type="bookmark" style="display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;" class="mce_SELRES_start"></span><span data-mce-type="bookmark" style="display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;" class="mce_SELRES_start"></span><span data-mce-type="bookmark" style="display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;" class="mce_SELRES_start"></span><span data-mce-type="bookmark" style="display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;" class="mce_SELRES_start"></span><span data-mce-type="bookmark" style="display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;" class="mce_SELRES_start"></span><span data-mce-type="bookmark" style="display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;" class="mce_SELRES_start"></span><span data-mce-type="bookmark" style="display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;" class="mce_SELRES_start"></span><span data-mce-type="bookmark" style="display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;" class="mce_SELRES_start"></span>Photo: Richard Heathcote/Getty Images
Article Link: Fitzpatrick relishing underdog role in Open final pairing