Matt Fitzpatrick declared he can "retire a happy man" after taking victory in the U.S. Open to clinch a first career major.
The Englishman came in one stroke ahead of Scottie Scheffler and Will Zalatoris, finishing 68 and six under par to secure success on Sunday.
Victory at the U.S. Open signified his second career win at The Country Club in Brookline, having lifted the U.S. Amateur trophy there in 2013 by edging out Australian Oliver Goss.
It also brought an end to the 27-year-old's wait for a first major and, while there's still plenty to play for in his career, Fitzpatrick has declared he can now retire happily.
"The feeling is out of this world. It is so cliche, but it's stuff you dream of as a kid. To achieve it, I can retire a happy man tomorrow," he told reporters.
"I think there were expectations, but I didn't feel them, in my opinion. The field's such a strong field, so many great golfers playing.
"But I think for me, the expectations were for me to play well, but I feel like having won the U.S. Amateur here as well, I just felt so comfortable around this place. Know where to hit it; know where to miss it."
While he could relax after his win, Fitzpatrick outlined his intention to secure six honours in his career in order to attain legendary status in golf.
"Six is the number. That's the number that we all agreed on. I've got a bit of a way to go, but it's a good start," he added.
Fitzpatrick will now turn his attention towards The Open Championship at St. Andrews, a course he loves to play on, though he looks forward to a well-deserved break first.
"It will be great. I love playing St. Andrews. It's a great golf course," he said of the final major of the year.
"It's going to be interesting, obviously, with the length and everything. And now I'm a bomber, I'll probably be driving most of the greens.
"I'm looking forward to it. I've got two weeks off now, which I couldn't be happier about. I'll get my head around a few things, and then I guess we'll go to St. Andrews."
Scheffler charges dropped after arrest at PGA Championship
Scottie Scheffler has had all charges dropped after his arrest before the second round of the PGA Championship earlier this month.
The world number one was arrested after play was delayed at Valhalla Golf Club due to a traffic incident outside the course, with one person left dead from the incident, which did not involve Scheffler.
It later emerged the American had been charged with second-degree assault of a police officer, third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving and disregarding traffic signals from an officer.
Louisville Metro Police Department said a bus had struck and killed a pedestrian in the incident, which Scheffler was reportedly attempting to navigate to enter the course.
Scheffler asserted the situation was a "big misunderstanding" following his arrest on May 17, which Jefferson County Attorney Mike O'Connell agreed with after reviewing the evidence.
O'Connell said Scheffler's actions did not "satisfy the elements of any criminal offence", while the golfer's attorney Steve Romines confirmed his client would not file a civil lawsuit.
"We are pleased the case was dismissed today," Romines told reporters as the attorney said Scheffler wanted to focus on his golf, rather than the incident after the court case was closed.
Scheffler posted a five-under-par 66 on the Friday of his arrest but finished tied for eighth as Xander Schaffuele triumphed for his first major glory.
Zandre Roye and Mattea Issa claim National Amateur Golf titles
Zandre Roye and Mattea Issa were crowned national amateur golf champions on Sunday at the Caymanas Golf Course in St. Catherine after three challenging rounds.
Both golfers are first time champions. Issa won by seven shots while Roye won by four after posting his best score in the final round.
Roye matched his first round four birdies but only had two bogeys to close the round on two under par 70 after scoring one under 35 for the front nine and another one under par 35 for the back nine.
His birdies came on holes number two, six, seventeen and eighteen while the bogeys were on holes four and sixteen. His three-round scores were one under par 71, five over par 77 and 70 for a total of three over par 219.
He was pleased with copping his first national championship after getting close on several occasions.
“Coming into this tournament year after year and seeing the trophy and wondering when I am going to get my name on it and its just my time now," he said.
“The course conditions were a little bit tricky out there with it being so dry but we are used to the conditions. I think I manage the game today out of all three days, pretty well. The putting was just not there this weekend but I hit a lot of greens and that helped a lot,” Roye added.
2022 national champion Oshae Haye moved from third place on the first and second day to end the in second place, four shots behind Roye. Haye posted scores of three over par on day one and two respectively and one over par 73 on the final day for a combined score of seven over par 223.
Junior golfer Trey Williams performed very well in the championship after taking over the lead at the end of the second round with a one under par 71 but was pegged back in the final round with four over par 76 in the third round. His total score of eight over par 224 included 77 in the first round, to be one stroke off the runner-up spot.
First time national female champion Mattea Issa got the better of many-time national champion Jodi Munn Barrow to win by seven shots.
Issa's final day scorecard showed three birdies, six bogeys and two double bogeys for seven over par 79.
Her first and second round scores were nine over par 81 on each day for a combined score of 25 over par 241. Munn-Barrow's scores were 84, 81 and 83 for a total of 32 over par 248, for the runner-up spot.
"It feels really good. I am really happy. I am very happy for the win but diving deeper more into my game I wish I have played better. I have been playing really well recently and I am not sure if it’s the combination of the conditions, it’s very dry at the moment, the greens are in the best shape so I just have to figure out how I can properly play the course because I know that everybody had a difficult time this weekend. So, I just have to analyze that and keep on progressing and keep on getting better," said a very pleased Issa.
Another former national champion Sean Morris copped the trophy for the national senior champion on the back of scores of 84, 74s and even par 72 to close the championship at 12 over par 228.
The national super senior champion was Keith Stein 227 (78, 71, 78). Philip Prendergast 232 (72, 82, 78) bagged the runner-up spot while former Jamaica Golf Association (JGA) president Wayne Chai Chong 235 (85, 76, 74) was third.
Munn-Barrow, the current JGA president praised the players for their performances.
“What we saw was very good performances from all of our juniors in all of the various categories. So, it was a good week, the only disappointment for this week was the lack of sponsorship of our national event. I am hoping that next year we can get sponsorship so we can have an even bigger and better event.”
PGA Tour winner Murray dies aged 30 after withdrawing from Charles Schwab Challenge
PGA Tour winner Grayson Murray has died aged 30 after withdrawing from the Charles Schwab Challenge.
The two-time Tour champion withdrew from the tournament in Fort Worth, Texas during his second round on Friday due to illness.
Murray, who won his second title at this year's Sony Open in Hawaii, passed away on Saturday as the Tour confirmed the news through an organisational statement.
"We were devastated to learn – and are heartbroken to share – that Grayson Murray passed away this morning. I am at a loss for words," wrote Tour commissioner Jay Monahan.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
