The exciting finish at Sawgrass last weekend not only crowned a worthy Players champion, but also told us who we should be keeping our eyes on in the majors over the next four months.
As impressive as Cameron Young was in earning his biggest victory to date, and despite yours truly predicting he would pick up one of golf’s big four trophies in 2026 before the turn of the year, it was his playing partner who I’d be even more bullish on.
At one stage last season, you might’ve had justified concerns for Matt Fitzpatrick’s form and his bid to play on Europe’s Ryder Cup team at Bethpage in September. He arrived at the PGA Championship in May without a top-20 finish on tour that season, and 85th in the world rankings.
Tied-eighth at Quail Hollow kept the doubters at bay, but only temporarily. He broke the top 10 at the end of June in a weak field at the Rocket Classic. With the run-in to the Ryder Cup intensifying, the Sheffield man put his head down and reminded everyone of why he is a former US Open winner and still one of Europe’s top talents.
Top-five finishes at the Scottish Open, and then The Open Championship at Royal Portrush, were crucial signs of life. His FedEx Cup run ended at the BMW Championship, the second leg of the PGA Tour’s playoff format, after which Fitzpatrick turned his attention to playing in Europe.
Having expressed reservations to captain Luke Donald over playing at the British Masters at the Belfry, then the Omega European Masters in Switzerland, Fitzpatrick obliged on his master’s request. Good finishes here confirmed what Donald wanted to see, and so Fitzpatrick was chosen to play in his third straight Ryder Cup, as part of an almost unchanged European team that beat America in 2023.
Advertisement
In session one on Long Island, he and Ludvig Aberg took down Scottie Scheffler and Russell Henley in foursomes, and despite being 5 up at one stage, Fitzpatrick held on for a crucial half point in the Sunday singles against Bryson DeChambeau to help Europe limp over the line and win the golden trophy on away soil.
2025 was a year of peaks and troughs for the 31-year-old, who won the US Open in 2022. Five months after marrying his girlfriend and former Miss New Jersey runner-up, Katherine Gaal, he broke up with his longtime partner inside the ropes, Billy Foster, in March. They’ll always have that week in Brookline.
ALSO: Who is Matt Fitzpatrick’s caddie?
ALSO: What clubs does Matt Fitzpatrick use?
Fitzpatrick severed ties with his coach Mike Walker, too, who had overseen his development since he was a youngster. After joining forces with Mark Blackburn, tutor to countless PGA Tour players, Fitzpatrick admitted he was the first coach to look at his swing for 15 years, who wasn’t Walker or the legendary Pete Cowen.
The switch finally paid dividends in November when he beat Rory McIlroy in a playoff to win the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai for the third time in his career. It’s a shame the season was over, but tell that to Fitzpatrick’s swing, which looks a little different in 2026 with some newly incorporated funky feet movement, which I am led to believe stops him coming too much from the inside whilst trying to gain speed.
He played fantastically down the stretch at TPC Sawgrass, arguably the most gruelling and daunting championship test in the game, especially if the final three holes are anything to go by, with the iconic par-3 17th hole at its core.
There’s momentum to Fitzpatrick. While he continues to regimentally note down the outcome of every shot in his notepad at every tournament, his confidence is oozing from the pages. His form reminds me of the run-in to the US Open years ago, when he outlasted Will Zalatoris and Scottie Scheffler to win his first major crown.
That year, he had four top-10s by the Masters, and could’ve won the PGA Championship at Southern Hills. It was then that my eyebrows hit the roof to see him at 25/1 to win the US Open, at a time when not only was his game hot, but he was hitting the ball further than ever with newfound swing speed.
His finest moment, and my finest sports gambling moment, of which there are very few to speak of, came via one of the great shots in major history when he cut a fairway bunker shot around a grassy lip to the heart of the 18th green.
It feels like Fitzpatrick is in that imperious mood again. Bogeying the final hole at Sawgrass when in contention can happen, which is how he lost on Sunday, and that isn’t to mention Young’s super display of competitive nerve, capped by a birdie on that iconic island green on the penultimate hole.
In 2025, J.J. Spaun came second to McIlroy at the Players Championship, then went on to win the US Open at Oakmont. We all slept on this, too, as the golf world basked in the glory of McIlroy securing the career grand slam at the Masters in April.
We won’t sleep on Fitzpatrick this time around. Golf data nerds will also tell you that Fitzpatrick is one of the best players in the world as far as numbers and statistics are currently concerned, with his play around and approaching greens of particular focus.
Advertisement
Now the other side of 30, Fitzpatrick still looks like that small, smiley boy who won the US Amateur, at the same venue where he won the US Open, in 2013. One family member of mine recalls bumping into and chatting with his mother, Susan, when the prestigious Carris Trophy was held at Royal Cinque Ports a year earlier.
Fitzpatrick came third, three shots behind the winner, Patrick Kelly.
The Carris is the English Boys Under-18 Open Amateur Stroke-Play Championship, and was founded in 1935. This same family member saw the Fitz family again on the high street in Dover the following day – certainly a change in surroundings from their native Sheffield.
While we all hope his compatriot Tommy Fleetwood can finally get over the major line sooner rather than later, we can also expect this popular Yorkshireman to be scaring the top of the major leaderboards in 2026.
I just have this strong hunch.
Will we see more Matt Fitzpatrick majors in 2026? Will we see more Matt Fitzpatrick majors in general? Tell us on Facebook!
NOW READ: What clubs does Cameron Young use?
NOW READ: A day sitting on the bank of the 17th at Sawgrass
Advertisement
