BMW PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

September 7, 2022

Matt Fitzpatrick

Wentworth Golf Club

Press Conference

TOM CARLISLE: Delighted to be joined by raining U.S. Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick. It's your first appearance on English soil since your amazing win at The Country Club. How much are you looking forward to this week?

MATT FITZPATRICK: Yeah, really looking forward to it. I love the week here. I love playing the golf course. I feel like it tests every aspect of your game. It is a little bit soft out there today, so hopefully it kind of dries out. I know the weather is supposed to be forecast a little bit wet. But yeah, got a lot of friends and family down this week, and yeah, should be a good week.

Q. With all the hoo-ha this week, would it matter to you if it was a LIV player that you beat to win this week? Is it extra motivation?

MATT FITZPATRICK: It's not extra motivation, no. I'm here to try and beat everyone as everyone else is. I'm sure there would be a lot of people happy if that was the case but yeah, I just said there, I'm so fed up with talking about it now. Just want to get won with it, play golf and do my own thing. That's the way I feel. I feel like, me personally from a selfish point of view, just turn up and go about my business and carry on.

Q. Have you found the atmosphere any different to Wentworth previously?

MATT FITZPATRICK: No, not really. Same. Obviously the guys are here but not really seen any of them to be honest. I practised early yesterday, so got myself done and didn't really do anything Monday. Might bump into a few this afternoon. But yeah, on the whole I've not really seen anyone.

Q. What do you hear more, people addressing your U.S. Open win or people addressing the LIV situation?

MATT FITZPATRICK: A little bit of both. I am getting a little bit of recognition at least. Just me and anyone, it's kind of like, oh, and I've got to ask, what's your view on LIV. I'm like, oh, here we go.

Yeah, it's obviously rife at the minute, and I think that's the whole thing. I mean, that's what makes it exciting, the speculation of who is going next. That's more exciting than anything else.

Q. Do you feel as well that your status in the game has grown because people are excited that you are going to Rome to check out The Ryder Cup course? Do you feel generally that people have elevated you?

MATT FITZPATRICK: I guess so. I was really surprised how many people were watching me in the Pro-Am this morning. That was a real pleasant surprise. Probably more people asking for photos and autographs than obviously normal years which is new. I couldn't be more positive about how people have reacted to me winning and everything else that's sort of come with it. Everyone has been so congratulatory. Yeah, I really appreciate that, so it's been good.

Q. Do you think you could possibly share a Ryder Cup Team environment with these guys? A few have said it would be very, very difficult on a team?

MATT FITZPATRICK: I think if it was next week, I could, yeah. I've already said it; there's one person I would have -- who I would be fine with playing with and have on the team. But you know, next year is obviously a long way away, and there's a lot of stuff to come with the whole situation.

So that might change things, change attitudes even more, and then that probably makes it difficult, I guess, so yeah.

Q. Who would that person be?

MATT FITZPATRICK: I'm not saying.

Q. I'm teasing. An actual golf question, just to be different.

MATT FITZPATRICK: I was just about to say, we are playing Wentworth this weeks, lads, you know that, right?

Q. Now given your status as one of the longer hitters, bombers of the game, does that help this week? You've got a pretty good record here anyway. Does that give you a little extra this week, chances of winning?

MATT FITZPATRICK: Yeah, I think so. I know that the premium is on tee-to-green this week. You have to hit you're irons well, No. 1, and driver is second. If I can put myself in position off the tee, have less clubs in than I have had in previous years, that's obviously an advantage.

With it being so wet this year as well, I think it's probably -- I don't feel like there's much rough around the greens either, where I feel like around the greens could be a little easier this year. Greens being soft also makes it a little easier. So it's going to be interesting to see how it plays out. I definitely don't feel like I played it this soft, maybe ever. So yeah, it's going to be interesting.

Q. I'm not sure how it works will you but sign up for the 20 next year? When do you know?

MATT FITZPATRICK: To be honest, I'm with you, I don't really know either. I know obviously Jay came out and said about mandatory events. Again, it's only been a week, so I don't really know any of the details. I've not really bothered to look at the details and figure it out. I've kind of pushed it to the back of my mind and figure out at the end of the season when things are a bit more clearer.

But yeah, listen, I'm happy to do what is going to be better for the Tour, and I'm noting going to be cheesy, for golf, I guess. If that's going to be better for the fans and better for the tournaments, as well, the sponsors, all that, I think sometimes you've got to go play -- or maybe now, you have to go play places you don't necessarily like and you've got to suck is up. It could be far worse; we are playing for -- we are going to be playing for much more money as well. So yeah, it's hardly a chore.

Q. It's just seen that the break at start of the year did immense good. Will you be able to do that next year?

MATT FITZPATRICK: Yeah, my rough plan right now is I've got four weeks off after Tiger's event, play Hawai'i, and then I'll have three weeks off and then start my season. So for me, like that seven-week spell overall is time to kind of for me to obviously try and improve, work out areas of my game, get stronger and stuff. Yeah, I will still have my time.

Q. Can you see yourself cramming in European Tour events at the end?

MATT FITZPATRICK: Yeah, again, that's all up in the air as well. Basically nobody knows what that is. My schedule looking at it already roughly, even before anything Jay mentioned, was I think I'm at like 22 maybe, maybe not that many. Maybe 22. So I'm kind of looking at -- and that's including The Ryder Cup. I'm looking at, well, I played 26 this year.

Feels like I've played loads and I'm trying to play less. That's not just me. Billy's advice even from day one was kind of trying -- 24 is a good number; trying to cut that down. Even if I play six next year, that's only four looking at September to December. What four they will be, I don't know. I don't know what events are going to be where and stuff in Europe. So yeah, that's all up in the air, really.

Q. Can you give us your thoughts on the new Hero Cup and how important that might be for some of the contenders for Luke's team and also for him and his vice captains?

MATT FITZPATRICK: Yeah, I'll be honest, I saw the press release. I don't really know the ins and outs of it. I just know I'm pretty sure I'm right in saying it's in Abu Dhabi and it's GB&I versus Europe, right.

I was talking with somebody earlier this year that it would be good to have practice of playing foursomes, playing fourballs with guys you potentially could play with in Ryder Cup. I think that's definitely important because I think it just gives you that experience of, a, not playing your own ball.

That's something I found I was really disappointed with and found difficult when we played at Whistling Straits was I was really up for playing with Viktor Hovland in the foursomes and that's kind what have we had down to do, and then we went out there, tried each other's ball, he hit mine and it was spinning all over the place and I hit his and there was no spin whatsoever.

All of a sudden, that's a pairing that's just gone out the window without really knowing it. If we had known before about the ball, it probably would not have entered the conversation and things might have been different or we'd have played a different -- played fourball instead or something. I think it's good to get that practice in and see what's going on.

TOM CARLISLE: Thank you very much for your time and enjoy the week.