Matt Fitzpatrick has admitted he is prioritising England's World Cup quarter-final against Norway over his performance at the Genesis Scottish Open. The Sheffield United fan plans a Saturday surge to secure a late tee-off, allowing him to watch the match without sacrificing sleep.
Football First for Fitzpatrick
Fitzpatrick, who played superbly in round two to put himself in contention, joked: "It's the only reason I'm trying to play well! I'm not bothered about the golf!" He added: "When we made it through, you look at the kick-off time and you're like: Right okay, I need to make sure I play well and get a late tee-time on Sunday."
The English golfer, a self-confessed football fanatic, has his eyes on Thomas Tuchel's team, who face Norway in Miami tonight. With the match potentially finishing after midnight, Fitzpatrick wants a late start on Saturday so he can get a full sleep after watching the crunch game.
Confidence in England's Chances
Fitzpatrick believes England can go all the way in the World Cup. He said: "I do [fancy England to go all the way]. I really like the manager. I think he's awesome, a really great coach and, obviously, the players are as talented as any other team." He praised Tuchel's squad selection: "I definitely feel like he picked the squad with a certain fit in mind, I think, for more knockout football as opposed to the group stages and, obviously, so far, so good."
He also defended Jude Bellingham, who has faced criticism: "The people that were shouting for Jude Bellingham to be left at home, I don't know what they do for a living, but, yeah, it's been just a really exciting period and I think we've done really well."
History of Football and Golf Colliding
Fitzpatrick famously caught a plane from the Renaissance Club after a Sunday play-off at the 2021 Scottish Open to see England face Italy in the Euros final at Wembley. He lost to Min Woo Lee on the course, and Gareth Southgate's men were defeated on penalties. This year, if he is in contention at The Open next week, he joked about potentially flying to New York for the final: "But it depends on how early those tee-times go at The Open on Sunday. You never know, might be able to get onto a plane to get to that one!"
Fellow Golfers Join the Banter
Jordan Smith, who shot a brilliant second-round 63 to lead the tournament, recalled Fitzpatrick's frantic flight and said: "Yeah, I mean, that Netjets deal probably helped him a lot! There'll be a lot of us trying to get a late tee time so we can sit up and watch. It should be a really good game." Smith predicted a final between England and France, but thinks France will be "that little bit stronger."
The locker room is full of World Cup banter, with Norwegian Viktor Hovland hoping the English boys would be left crying. Smith said: "There's always a bit of that chat going on. There'll probably be a bit of banter between the English and the Norwegians."
Smith's Strong Form
Smith, who worked with coach Simon Shanks (also Bob MacIntyre's coach), said: "I had three weeks off, put the clubs away for a week and then came back, re-energised and looking forward to this next stretch. Things are feeling good. I'm in a good sort of mental space." He added: "It would be nice to follow [MacIntyre's win at Renaissance two years ago]. A long way to go yet, but I've been working with Simon pretty much since I started playing golf when I was about 13, 14. He knows my swing inside out."
Fitzpatrick's Weekend Prospects
Fitzpatrick's Friday 65 left him one behind Smith, putting him in a strong position ahead of the weekend and The Open at Birkdale next week. He said: "It's a good start on a golf course I've played well on before and I had a lot of confidence coming into this week on the back of playing well. Five birdies in a row was nice and an added bonus." Looking ahead to The Open, he added: "Next week is an exciting prospect. It's been a great season so far and it's hard to believe there is only a month and a half left of it. I plan to manage the rest of it as best I can and ride the wave, I guess."
