Matt Fitzpatrick reveals his golf handicap… and the crazy number of shots he has to give his friends

Matt Fitzpatrick talks exclusively to Today's Golfer.

In an exclusive interview, Major-winner Matt Fitzpatrick sat down with Michael Catling to discuss his game, life in Florida, excitement for the upcoming TGL, and reveals his lowest handicap ever.

The 2022 US Open winner has returned to action on the DP World Tour in recent weeks after narrowly missing out on securing a place in the FedEx Cup Tour Championship, not helped by being denied the chance to replace his cracked driver at the penultimate playoff event.

Without a win in almost a year, the man from Sheffield prepares to link up with eight of his 2023 Ryder Cup teammates at the BMW PGA Championship where he goes in search of a 10th DP World Tour title at the flagship Wentworth event.

But before jumping on the M25 ring road, the now Floridian resident found time to sit down with TG Features Editor Michael Catling at the Centurion Club to reflect on where his game is at, his excitement at being part of Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods’ new TGL venture, and most intriguingly… how many shots he needs to give his friends! Here’s what Matt Fitzpatrick had to say in full…

What was the situation with your driver face at the BMW Championship?
It was cracked, I can assure you that! It’s just the way the rule is. We had long conversations about it. Someone told me I should have hit 3-wood off that tee and then gone, ‘I’m just going to hit a provisional?’ I could have hit it hard, just to break it, so I could replace it. I was like, ‘That’s actually quite smart’. But yeah, it was ridiculous.

What was the process after that? Did you have a back-up?
I’m still going through the process. I had two heads, the GT3 and the TSi which is what I use. I just put the TSi straight in, but the head that I’ve got I’ve not hit too much because it’s spinning at like 2,900[rpm], which is like 400 more than what the other one was. I need to do some testing with that or another head and figure out what’s going on.

How are you feeling about the state of your game?
It’s not really where I want it. Soon it’s the off-season so I can make any changes that I need to. I’m going to Woburn to see my coach Mike [Walker] and do some work there. We’ll have a good bit of time before I have some time away from golf.

Are you going to be playing in the Team Cup in January?
I will not. It’s a long way to go for a week. I won’t be playing in the desert next year. I don’t feel comfortable or enjoy playing those golf courses. They don’t suit my game. My best finish at the Dubai Desert Classic is fifth. Outside of that was 16^th and then I’ve been nowhere. I love the greens, they are pure surfaces. But I don’t like the design because a lot of the holes are dog-legs. Rory can take it over them but I have a lower ball flight than most so I’m hitting to the corner where the fairways are tighter and I run out.

Do you go away for warm weather training in the winter?
I live in Florida so it’s warm every day! They (my coaches] come to me and they are excited to come.

Do you ever go on any golf trips with your mates?
We had one at the end of 2020, ‘21 and ‘22, so we did three in a row. We’ll bring it back, probably next year. We did Portugal for the first one, at Quinta [do Lago], and then we went to Valderrama, Sotogrande, San Roque. We also did one in Florida.

What handicap do you play off with your mates?
Plus-seven.

Do you win much?
We do it in pairs. I’ve won it once out of the three. My brother [Alex] has won it twice.

What was your handicap when you turned pro?
Plus-four. I keep my handicap though. My club in Florida has put me in the US system so I put my scores in from some rounds. My handicap is +6.9 at the minute. I got to +8 in June.

Which club are you attached to?
The Bear’s Club.

Who do you play with?
I don’t play with anyone [laughs]. I practice mainly. I don’t see many guys playing together. The only ones I see regularly are JT [Justin Thomas] and Rickie [Fowler], or Rory [McIlroy] and Shane [Lowry] play a fair bit. That’s about it.

Who is the best celebrity you’ve played with?
Dan [Walker] can play. He’s a member of my club, Hallamshire. But that’s a good question… I don’t think any of them have been [laughs]. We played the pro-am at Wentworth and it was me, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, and Jos Buttler. And I know Joe because he’s from Sheffield. I knew he was half-decent, but Ben is also really good. He’s off four. But we did nothing but shout ‘fore’ all day. Ben Stokes was devastated at how badly he was playing.

How long have you been in Florida?
Since 2017. The whole tour has changed. Covid happened and the European [DP World] Tour went from having eight Rolex Series to what, three? The PGA Tour has obviously sustained what they were doing and the European Tour couldn’t. Obviously, the game has gone over there and all the top players play over there so it’s where I want to be. Growing up, I always wanted to live in America regardless of whether I was a golfer or not. I always enjoyed it, so I think it was the progression of where I got to. I finished second in Bay Hill in 2019, got my card, and so it was a bit fuller time after that.

Was it an easy transition?
Big time, yeah. Mum and Dad took us on vacation a lot to the States so we’ve been to a bunch of different places. I knew what to expect and with the travel as well. It was pretty easy.

TGL starts soon. Are you excited about being part of it?
Yeah, it starts in January. I’ve not tested it yet, I think we’re going to look at doing something at the end of this year. It’s exciting, I think it will be something different. I’m not going to sit here and say it’s going to be groundbreaking and incredible, but it will be interesting to see. It’s not just going to be around for a few weeks. It’s a big deal and has got some important people behind it.

How did it come about? Did you get a call from Tiger or Rory?
No. I’m with Excel [Sports Management] and they represent Tiger as well. They were in the loop, given Tiger’s situation with it, and that got explained to me. I want to say the conversations started at the end of 2022. At that time, I was in the top 10 in the world, so I got the invite straight away. For me, where we’re playing the matches, it’s about 1,000 yards from my house. So, I’m just going to get in my car, drive two minutes and drive home. It’s perfect on that front, Monday, Tuesday nights, it’s on TV, and I’ve got a good team as well.

What do you think about the Match, featuring Rory and Scottie against Brooks and Bryson, in December?
I thought it was a joke at first. I thought it was one of those fake rumors. I hope it’s better than all those Capital One Matches. I don’t know, some of those have been good. The Tom Brady one and those boys was really funny. I didn’t mind the most recent one with Rory, JT and maybe Spieth playing in Vegas. That was good.

Who do you think is going to win?
Probably Rory and Scottie. I’ve got to be biased; I can’t be team LIV.

*Matt Fitzpatrick is a Skechers ambassador.

About the author

Michael Catling – Features Editor

Michael Catling is an award-winning journalist who specializes in golf’s Majors and Tours, including DP World, PGA, LPGA, and LIV.

Michael joined Today’s Golfer in 2016 and has traveled the world to attend the game’s biggest events and secure exclusive interviews with the game’s biggest names, including Jack Nicklaus, Jordan Spieth, Tom Watson, Greg Norman, Gary Player, Martin Slumbers and Justin Thomas.

Get in touch with Michael via email and follow him on X.