BMW CHAMPIONSHIP

August 19, 2023

Matt Fitzpatrick

Olympia Fields Country Club

Quick Quotes

Q. Matt, you've got a chance to win here this week, play yourself to Atlanta. Does the focus shift for tomorrow?

MATT FITZPATRICK: Yeah, there's no guarantee I'm in Atlanta yet. I've got to tap in on Sunday and in a good position. Yeah, happy to give myself at least a chance going into tomorrow. Definitely felt comfortable again out there, and just trying to build on it.

Q. Talk to me about the inward holes here. It wasn't just hitting shots, it was playing some golf. You had to think your way around some shots, didn't you.

MATT FITZPATRICK: Yeah, definitely got myself out of position a couple times and had to find ways to get it round. Fortunately I did that coming in apart from the last.

Q. Are you able to draw even more confidence from that? Not that you weren't confident before, but to be able to pull those shots off, does that give you more confidence for tomorrow?

MATT FITZPATRICK: Yeah, definitely. I think it's a big momentum thing. If you can make the putts for par, I think when you're not doing that, it kills any sort of round momentum. My only bogey today was on 18, and fortunately I get to rest until I go out to No. 1 tomorrow. It didn't really matter quite as much.

Q. Can you talk about the shot on the third hole from down by the green; you took a long time at that one. What went into making such an incredible shot there because that seemed like one that's very difficult.

MATT FITZPATRICK: Yeah, I was just trying to get it up by the green, to be honest. We kind of figured out where was the best leave if it didn't go well. Obviously came out pretty perfectly, pitched in the rough, went to 10 feet and made it.

But yeah, it wasn't a great place to be. Couldn't believe how far left the ball came out of the rough for the second one really to get down there. It was a little bit disappointing. But yeah, hopefully hit the fairway tomorrow and I won't have an issue.

Q. Did the ball on the second shot, what happened there?

MATT FITZPATRICK: The rough was just so thick it probably turned it over. Started left and then the wind was right to left, as well.

Q. Can you talk about the shot on 15 and just a little bit about what went into the drop and stuff like that.

MATT FITZPATRICK: Yeah, the lie was actually pretty good where it was but I stood on the -- whatever you want to call it, hospitality area, would have had to hook a lob wedge to get it, but then managed to get a drop right of the tree that gave me just enough angle to get it to the pin. That's what sort of Billy was in favor of, and then when I set it out, it seemed clear, yeah.

Q. I couldn't hear the conversation. What was the deal with the third shot on 18?

MATT FITZPATRICK: A marshal semi stood on the ball.

Q. Semi stood?

MATT FITZPATRICK: Well, like didn't fully stand on it, but definitely brushed it because you could see the grass was completely moved. It was definitely sat further down than when I got there. They didn't see it, and they can't confirm that, so I wasn't going to be like -- I wasn't going to fight for it, really.

Q. How much do you think that affected the shot?

MATT FITZPATRICK: Probably three -- not a different angle or anything, but it just came out heavy, and if it sat up a little bit lighter, it comes out a little bit better on the green. It's a little less stressful bogey than what I had.

Q. You spoke with us yesterday about how you enjoy a course like this. I'm guessing you fancied the conditions out there today.

MATT FITZPATRICK: Yeah, definitely. I like it when it's windy and tough and it's obviously getting firmer out there, as well. I just think tomorrow is supposed to be really, really hot. Obviously sort of playing very late, as well, again. So yeah, it'll be very firm.

Q. All in all today, kind of felt like a Matthew Fitzpatrick round of golf. How do you assess it?

MATT FITZPATRICK: Yeah, it was good. Good day. Felt comfortable where I hit it. A couple of holes where obviously would like to take a couple shots back, but on the whole I felt really solid and comfortable going into tomorrow.

Q. How would you rate your level of frustration coming into this week with your game?

MATT FITZPATRICK: Pretty high, yeah. Pretty high, definitely.

After winning Harbour Town, feeling like -- I felt I kind of got a lot more out of my irons all of a sudden in two weeks at Augusta and Harbour Town. They just felt so much better than they had been probably since the U.S. Open. I felt I could really kick on then.

Then yeah, just gradually started driving it worse really. That's a strength of mine, so just not been comfortable with that for the last three months, and I feel like we've done a really good job of fixing that over the last couple weeks.

Q. Did you make like an emergency call to Mike?

MATT FITZPATRICK: No, he's been out and we've been trying to figure it out for a few months. I just think probably the plan that we worked on, we probably stuck to the most, and I just felt like it was an immediate difference when I was doing it. I felt like we tried a bunch of other different things and I wouldn't really seeing any difference, feeling any difference, whereas now it definitely feels different, which is good.

Q. What's the biggest change?

MATT FITZPATRICK: Just swinging it shorter. I was just really kind of overswinging it and then the batter just gets out of sync and it's harder to control.

Q. When Billy said that you were driving it like him, did you laugh, or did you get sort of angry?

MATT FITZPATRICK: A bit of both. I laughed. I laughed. But 17th at U.S. Open, two years ago I would have been delighted with it, but this year it was kind of like well, hit the driver anything like, and really could have contended again. Yeah, that was definitely disappointing.

But it's one week out of however many we play, and it's just trying to -- I wish we kind of figured out what we figured out last week a bit sooner, but here we are.

Q. I know it's kind of hypothetical, but if you were to win Sunday, would that change your outlook on the season or would it still feel like this kind of opportunity lost?

MATT FITZPATRICK: No, I wouldn't say it was an opportunity lost. I would say it probably -- I'd probably say it wouldn't match where my expectations of myself can be. I feel like if I can drive it how I know I can drive it and hit the irons how I feel like I've hit them this year along with short game and putting, then I do feel like I can contend more regularly, and I feel like looking in the past, I've had plenty of top 10s and stuff but never really been in the final group or only a couple back. It's always four or five back, just enough to not really make a difference.

That's kind of where my next step feels like to be looking at Jon Rahm and Scottie and Rory, they're always up there week in and week out.