Former DP World Tour Championship winner Matthew Fitzpatrick arrives at Jumeirah Golf Estates without a win this season but the 25 year old finds himself ranked fourth in the European Tour\u2019s Race to Dubai Rankings following a string of runner-up finishes and is targeting a strong finish to the season in Dubai as he aims to extend his run of winning every year on Tour since 2015.<\/p>\n
“I feel like I\u2019ve played well this year,\u201d said Fitzpatrick. \u201cAll I\u2019m missing is a win. I\u2019ve felt very comfortable all year and I\u2019ve worked really hard on the aspects of my game I needed to improve on, and, fortunately, they\u2019ve paid off. Hopefully, I can keep on improving before the end of the year.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Englishman claimed a third European Tour title at the DP World Tour Championship in 2016 with a brilliant one-stroke triumph over compatriot Tyrrell Hatton on a course he had initially felt was unsuited to his game when he made his debut in the event the previous year.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I first got to the DP World Tour Championship in 2015, I thought it was a bit of a bomber\u2019s course and I didn\u2019t think I\u2019d have any chance here,\u201d said Fitzpatrick. \u201cBut apart from last year (tied 34th) I\u2019d played it three times before that and finished inside the top 15 every time \u2013 including my win in 2016 \u2013 so I think the Earth course suits my game well.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s generous off the tee but you\u2019ve got to have great approach shots to score well and that\u2019s often a strength of mine. The 18th hole brings back some great memories. It\u2019s a really good hole when the tees are pushed forward a little bit because it brings the water into play, so you\u2019ve got to hit a really good shot. It\u2019s a demanding hole but that\u2019s what makes it so good. Early on there are some holes which you can attack. The second is a short par-5; the approaches to holes 3 and 5 are both with short irons; the seventh is another par-5, so you can definitely get your score going on the front nine. If you can do that then you can head into the back nine with a fair amount of confidence.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fitzpatrick has witnessed first-hand the rapid expansion of Dubai over the past 15 years and the Sheffield native believes the emirate is the perfect location for the European Tour\u2019s season-ending tournament.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve got so many memories of Dubai, beyond playing golf,\u201d he said. \u201cI went on a family holiday there in 2004 before everything was built up so Dubai goes quite a long way back for me. The golf world is gravitating towards that part of the world now and I think it\u2019s great for the game.\u201d<\/p>\n
With the winner taking home a cool US$3 million at this year\u2019s tournament, the eyes of the golfing world will be fixed on the DP World Tour Championship and Fitzpatrick can\u2019t wait to get down to business, knowing he will have huge support at the event.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s always a great atmosphere at Jumeirah Golf Estates and the crowds are really good,\u201d he said. \u201cIt sounds crazy, but it\u2019s not that difficult for people from around Europe and the UK to come out to the UAE and I\u2019ve always had people making the trip to Dubai to support me. The weather is guaranteed and it’s a nice place to visit and a great way to end the season.\u201d<\/p>\n
The top 50 players in the Race to Dubai Rankings will contest the season-ending US$8 million DP World Tour Championship at Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai from November 21-24 where US$3 million will be up for grabs for the winner, making it the richest first prize in world tournament golf.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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