Matt Fitzpatrick began playing some excellent golf towards the end of the 2025 season and as a result, he made the European Ryder Cup team at Bethpage Black.
Fitzpatrick played a key role for Team Europe at the Ryder Cup, winning two and halving one of the four matches that he played.
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The Englishman has carried that fine form on into 2026 and is now ranked as the sixth-best golfer in the world.
Fitzpatrick finished runner-up to Cam Young at The Players Championship two weeks ago and then made his breakthrough at The Valspar Championship last week.
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The 31-year-old’s supreme iron play has really come to the fore and he is now a genuine threat to win the biggest and most prestigious tournaments.
Fitzpatrick’s winning mentality shone through at the Valspar as he holed a 14-foot putt for birdie on the 18th hole to take the title.
And it’s fair to say that his appearances at the Ryder Cup throughout the years have played a huge role in Fitzpatrick becoming the player he is today.
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Matt Fitzpatrick says two US Ryder Cup stars congratulated him after Valspar win
Fitzpatrick is a hugely popular player on the PGA Tour amongst his fellow pros.
Cam Young raved about Fitzpatrick after The Players two weeks ago and it seems like numerous other top names were delighted to see him win at Innisbrook last week.
The Englishman was asked if he received any texts from his Ryder Cup teammates after his win at the Valspar on Sunday.
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“Yeah, I mean, I won’t share the content but…“ Fitzpatrick said.
“Rosey, captain Luke, Rory, Viktor, Ludvig, all said congratulations. Always nice to get those texts.
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“Also Xander as well, Xander and Keegan text me too, so good guys.“
Fair play to Xander Schauffele and Keegan Bradley.
Honorable behavior still alive and well in professional golf
Both players would have been bitterly disappointed to lose out to the Europeans at Bethpage Black in September.
However, the fact they both congratulated Fitzpatrick after his win at the Valspar last week proves that professional golf is still a game steeped in honor.
The Ryder Cup was hugely controversial due to the behavior of some of the American fans at Bethpage Black.
However, Schauffele and Bradley have both proven that there is no animosity between the two teams with their actions after Fitzpatrick’s victory at the Valspar.
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Fitzpatrick and Schauffele are both members of the New York Golf Club TGL team, so they have clearly grown closer over the past 18 months or so.
And the admiration the American has for the Englishman is clear to see.
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