Matt Fitzpatrick is the solo leader after 54 holes at the Betfred British Masters, with Alex Noren and Nicolai Hojgaard on his heels.
While many of golf’s superstars battle it out at the Tour Championship in Atlanta, there are several big names at the top of the leaderboard across the pond.
Matt Fitzpatrick is the solo leader after 54 holes at the Betfred British Masters hosted by Sir Nick Faldo at The Belfry in Sutton Coldfield, England. Fitzpatrick, the 2022 U.S. Open Champion, made eagle on the par-5 15th en route to a 4-under 68 in the third round to enter the final day at 12 under.
“I just played solid again,” Fitzpatrick said Saturday. “I’m just happy with where my game’s at at the minute. Just trying to be really patient, not force it, and just keep hitting solid shots.”
This October will mark 10 years since Fitzpatrick’s first British Masters victory, which came at Woburn Golf Club in 2015. He’ll look to add a second one to his trophy case with another solid round Sunday.
“To do it ten years apart would be pretty cool… Looking forward to the opportunity. As I was out there today, it’s just really enjoyable to be in these situations. Scottie Scheffler must be absolutely buzzing every week. It’s really nice to be in contention, playing solid and give yourself a chance of winning a golf tournament.”
Fitzpatrick came on strong toward the end of the PGA Tour season, racking up four straight top-10 finishes at the Rocket Classic, the Genesis Scottish Open, the Open Championship and the Wyndham Championship.
Matt Fitzpatrick is 12th in European Ryder Cup rankings
Those performances weren’t quite enough to fully make up for his lackluster start to the season and he ultimately finished 34th in the FedEx Cup Standings, four spots short of qualifying for the Tour Championship. He’s still trying to make his case for a spot on the European Ryder Cup team, and it’s likely that he’ll hear his name called when Luke Donald announces his captain’s picks.
A victory Sunday would also be Fitzpatrick’s ninth on the DP World Tour, but it probably won’t come easy. Sweden’s Alex Noren is in solo second, just one behind Fitzpatrick at 11 under.
Noren, who’s winless on the PGA Tour despite having played in 192 events, fired a bogey-free 65 on Saturday at the British Masters, making five birdies and an eagle.
“It feels amazing,” Noren said. “I struggled yesterday and the first day. I scored well the first day, and then talked to my coach, needed to work on some stuff. Came here a little bit earlier this morning, which I never do before a late round. It paid off today.”
Denmark’s Nicolai Hojgaard and Englishman Marco Penge are in a tie for third after three rounds at 10 under, two shots off Fitzpatrick’s lead.
Fitzpatrick and Noren will tee off in the final pairing Sunday at 7:50 a.m. ET.
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