Page 25 - Golf Champion - June 2022

ROOKLINE, Mass. – On Saturday night,
Bwith a share of the lead and preparing to
go into the biggest round of his life, England’s
normally soft-spoken Fitzpatrick, who won the
2013 U.S. Amateur at The Country Club with his
kid brother, Alex, on the bag, delivered a line
that was so Crenshaw-like with portent the only
thing missing was the pizza shirt.
“I certainly think it gives me an edge over the
others, yeah,” Fitzpatrick said of the long-ago
week that kick-started his career. “I genuinely
do believe that.”
Like Crenshaw, he was right. On the same turf
where he experienced the awakening of his
career, he savored another, grander victory,
carding a final-round 68 to win the U.S. Open by
one over Scottie Scheffler (67) and Will Zalatoris
(69). It was Fitzpatrick’s first PGA TOUR win,
and he becomes the 13th player and first non-
American to win the U.S. Amateur and U.S.

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