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ARNOLD PALMER INVITATIONAL PRESENTED BY MASTERCARD

March 10, 2019

Matthew Fitzpatrick

Orlando, Florida

Q. You beat Rory by one, but ended up losing the tournament by two. Were you surprised that someone really came out and shot that low?
MATTHEW FITZPATRICK: No, it was going to happen, someone was going to do it, obviously, but, yeah, it would have been nice if it was me, but it wasn't -- but I didn't really get many good bounces. I hit a great drive down 15, got a straight left bounce and then I was in the rough and from there it made it a bit more difficult. But looking back I can't think of anywhere -- I didn't hit a great tee shot on 12, that was probably the only one that's really cost me all day in terms of bad shots. Yeah, I felt like I played really well.

Q. How would you characterize Francesco's round. You didn't see it. But 64 in these conditions?
MATTHEW FITZPATRICK: It's phenomenal. He's obviously holed a lot of putts to do that because you can't get close to these pins. There's no way that he's knocked it to six feet on every hole, the greens were so firm and fast. But he played very, very well to shoot that and hat's off to him.

Q. Given your past record on the PGA TOUR there's a lot to take forward and be positive about.
MATTHEW FITZPATRICK: Definitely, yeah. I'm really pleased. Like I said, I did feel like I should have won the way I played, so I am disappointed I lost by two. And I can think of two things today where I could have hit a couple of better shots maybe, but overall I just think today was just a little disappointing, I probably played too safe. I think sort of protecting my position a little bit. I'm delighted for solo second, but I just felt like the way I played and the way I was hitting it I could have been a little more aggressive.

Q. Did the safe play come from thinking earlier on that you were going neck and neck with Rory and then all of a sudden you find yourself chasing?
MATTHEW FITZPATRICK: No, not at all, really. It's one of those I sort of stood over shots sort of wanting to go maybe, two, three yards close to the flag and so me and Billy were sort of discussing about going two yards further away, which hindsight is a pain and I wish I had not done it, but at the moment in time you don't want to drop shots, obviously if I dropped two shots, I dropped 10 places, that's how it is out here. It's just one of those things where I just think looking back feeling the way I was playing and the way I was hitting the ball, just wish I had maybe been a little bit more aggressive.

Q. You've played a lot of golf with Rory over the years, how close does he seem to that form that we're used to in 2012, 2014 when he was winning Majors?
MATTHEW FITZPATRICK: Yeah, he played great. I'm sure he'll be disappointed with today. I can think of a few occasions he could have been a lot, he could have been three or four shots better in my opinion, but he knows what he's doing, it's not for me to tell him, he's been around here long enough to know what he's doing.

Q. Were you shocked that you were only two yards behind him in driving distance today?
MATTHEW FITZPATRICK: Yeah, I guess so, yeah.

(Laughter.)

Q. That's better than the 40 you predicted yesterday.
MATTHEW FITZPATRICK: Well, you know, he hit a good one up 4, I was delighted to come off there with one shot better than him.

Q. You won the biggest amateur tournament in the United States, what would, what's it going to take to break through and win on the PGA TOUR here?
MATTHEW FITZPATRICK: Well not a lot more, being honest. I mean I played -- I come back to the same thing -- if I play like that I wouldn't be too far off. I feel like I've had a solid putting week inside 10 feet, outside of that I feel I've been very poor. I've not holed -- Frankie just told me he holed a 45-footer on the 1st, he chipped in, I've not had any of that happen to me and I lost by two. So just two more putts and a couple, be a bit more aggressive, a couple more chances really and it could be a different story.

Q. How different if at all is Francesco compared to nine months ago say?
MATTHEW FITZPATRICK: I don't really know Francesco personally, but I mean he's obviously very much --

Q. You competed against him though.
MATTHEW FITZPATRICK: Yeah, yeah, I mean Frankie has always been one of those guys that he's just great tee to green and obviously he's just started putting really well and he's seeing Phil Kenyon and, yeah, he's obviously, it's obviously all coming together for him.

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