"I dont really know what to do" Matt Fitzpatrick in crisis after opening round at The Masters
Matt Fitzpatrick was left stumped after round one at Augusta National after certain clubs in his bag weren't behaving themselves.
Matt Fitzpatrick was mystified after his opening round at The Masters because certain clubs in his bag failed to perform as he wanted them to.
Fitzpatrick shot an opening-round one under 71, but despite making five birdies, he also had a number of blemishes on his card, most notably finishing with back-to-back bogeys on 17 and 18.
Fitzpatrick is renowned for being incredibly analytical with all of his shots. For several years, he has collected handwritten data on every shot he hits.
However, even with his meticulous preparation, the game of golf can still throw surprises, as Fitzpatrick found himself flummoxed by the performance of his short irons during the opening round.
Speaking to the media after his round, the Englishman claimed his scoring irons were simply refusing to spin.
He told reporters:
"Just my short irons just do not want to spin. Like they do not want to spin. So you get some that I hit and ball just goes forever...I don't really know what to do."
While Fitzpatrick currently sits fairly middle of the pack on the PGA Tour for strokes gained approach, his stats dropped significantly during round one at Augusta National.
His average green-in-regulation percentage on the PGA Tour this season is 68.5%, but that dropped to 56% yesterday, only managing to find the putting surface in regulation ten times.
A perfect example of the lack of spin he was able to generate came on the 18th hole.
After hitting an ideal drive, Fitzpatrick was only left with a short iron into the green.
With the pin cut at the back right, the shot was simple enough, but despite that, Fitzpatrick's shot airmailed the green by 10-15 yards, landing in the patrons section behind the green.
Despite not having an affiliation with either brand, Fitzpatrick currently uses PING Blueprint S Irons and a Titleist Pro V1x golf ball.
While it would be easy to criticise the equipment, both the ball and irons Fitzpatrick uses are in the bags of numerous other players in the field.
Tony Finau and Corey Conners use PING Blueprint S irons, and a whole host of players, including Wyndham Clark, Jordan Spieth, and Ludvig Aberg, are currently using the Titleist Pro V1x golf ball.
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Johnny joined GolfMagic as Reviews Editor in 2023 having worked for Sports Impact for two years as Head of Social Media, working alongside prominent golf brands including Galvin Green, Motocaddy and Wilson.
