LONDON (AFP) – Matt Fitzpatrick hit a closing 66 at the rain-disrupted Alfred Links Championship to finish three shots clear of the field.
The Englishman, who won the US Open in 2022, had been sat on the lead for two days after torrential rain washed out the weekend and reduced the event, played at three courses, to 54 holes.
Excellent scoring conditions on Monday, greeted the field across St Andrews, Kingsbarns and Carnoustie but nobody could get past Fitzpatrick, who reached 19 under to win by three shots from countrymen Marcus Armitage and Matthew Southgate and defending champion Ryan Fox.
The victory caps a hugely successful fortnight for Fitzpatrick, who was part of Luke Donald’s winning Ryder Cup team in Italy.
The win is Fitzpatrick’s ninth individually on the DP World Tour, formerly the European Tour.
He also won the pro-am part of the competition alongside his mother, Susan.
“It doesn’t get better than this,” he said. “Winning at St Andrews, it’s just a very special place. We’ve been coming here for a long, long time as well and it doesn’t get better.
“We played last year and didn’t quite play so well and this year she’s played fantastic and I was playing really solid as well. You just couldn’t ask for a better week.”
Fitzpatrick started the day with a one-shot advantage and was two ahead after putting an approach to six feet at the first.
The tenacious Southgate and New Zealander Fox kept him company at the top of the leaderboard but Fitzpatrick holed a long putt on the 13th and hit an excellent approach into the 15th to lead by three.
Southgate and Fox both made the most of the short par-four 18th to sign for rounds of 66 and 65, as did Fitzpatrick, to set the target at 19 under.
