Matt Fitzpatrick’s stunning victory in the British Masters supported by Sky Sports has earned the Englishman the Hilton European Tour Golfer of the Month award for October.
In his first full season on The European Tour, Fitzpatrick belied his tender years with a nerveless display on the final day at Woburn Golf Club, closing with a round of 68 to take the title by two shots from Søren Kjeldsen, Shane Lowry and Fabrizio Zanotti.
It was Fitzpatrick’s maiden victory less than a year after turning professional, and confirmed the potential he had shown when winning the 2013 US Amateur Championship and subsequently climbing to the Number One spot in the World Amateur Golf Ranking.
In his next outing after his win at Woburn, in the UBS Hong Kong Open at the end of October, the 21 year old secured his sixth top three finish of a superbly consistent season to climb into the top 15 of The Race to Dubai.
Fitzpatrick, who receives Hilton HHonors Diamond Elite Status – the highest tier of the hotel’s renowned loyalty scheme – for winning the Golfer of the Month award, said: “This is great. I’ve seen other players win the award throughout the season, so to have a trophy of my own is pretty special.
“It’s really nice to pick up any award, and whilst I can’t say it’s something I set my sights on winning, it’s a very nice achievement. It was a very special week at the British Masters, getting my first win as a pro was amazing and then winning this award is a very nice bonus.”
The October award was keenly contested, with Fitzpatrick’s fellow Englishman Andy Sullivan taking second place after securing his third victory of the season with a nine-stroke triumph at the Portugal Masters. Another Englishman, Justin Rose, took third following his win in the UBS Hong Kong Open.
Fitzpatrick joins his compatriot Danny Willett (December and July), Gary Stal (January), Anirban Lahiri (February), Richie Ramsay (March), Wu Ashun (April), Byeong-Hun An (May), Alex Noren (June), Shane Lowry (August) and Lee Slattery (September) as the contenders for The 2015 European Tour Golfer of the Year award, which will be decided by a selection panel at the culmination of next week’s DP World Tour Championship, Dubai.
In addition to members of the golfing media who voted for Fitzpatrick, fans of ‘My European Tour’ were also involved in the award, with the new format allowing them to vote at www.europeantour.com and try to match the expert panel’s 1-2-3 for October.
The winner of the My European Tour competition, together with each of the other monthly winners from March to October, will earn a two-night stay at any Hilton Portfolio hotel worldwide, while all eight winners will be entered into a prize draw to win a three-night stay in Dubai for the season-ending DP World Tour Championship, Dubai.
