THE 153RD OPEN

July 19, 2025

Matt Fitzpatrick

Mixed Zone

Q. Give us your thoughts, please.

MATT FITZPATRICK: Just didn't make any putts. I didn't hit it close enough. Drove it well enough, didn't hit it close enough. Just made way less putts than Scottie.

Q. What's it like being in the final group in a big-time tournament on a Saturday?

MATT FITZPATRICK: Yeah, good. Done it before. It's nothing new. Yeah, it was good.

Q. What was the issue with the putting?

MATT FITZPATRICK: They just wouldn't go in. That's the long and short of it. They went in yesterday. They didn't go in today. I just felt like I left myself too many short, mid-range, like 5 to 8 feet. Obviously that starts to build up a lot of pressure as the round goes on, and never gave myself a lot of chances with the irons to kind of make anything. So you're hoping for a 25-, 30-footer to go in. That's just hard to sustain over the course of 18.

Q. What's the challenge tomorrow of spotting a guy like Scottie five shots and trying to hunt him down?

MATT FITZPATRICK: Let's be realistic, he's five ahead. It's not easy. But if you get off to a good start, then obviously put a bit of pressure on early doors and hope for the best really. You get 3-under through 6, like some of the guys today, 7 the par-5, and all of a sudden you're kind of right back in it, you would hope.

For the most part, you don't want to be behind, you want to be leading as much as you can. It's clear what I have to do tomorrow.

Q. What impressed you the most about the way he played today?

MATT FITZPATRICK: His putting is night and day obviously. From what you guys all talk about how bad it was at one point, I didn't play with him really in that period. He's just not missed a putt today. There isn't one putt that he's missed, and that's obviously the difference that's taken him to this unbeatable run, which is annoying for me that Phil Kenyon shared those secrets. (Laughter).

Q. The roar on 2 when you chipped in, how special was that?

MATT FITZPATRICK: Yeah, it was awesome obviously. It was great to get under par early. You're hoping for par on the 1st, birdie on the next, but I'll take it that way all over again for sure. It was a nice way to start.

Q. Is there satisfaction being back in this position? Obviously you've won the biggest tournaments in the world, but you're in a lull, and here you are. Is there anything you can take from that right now?

MATT FITZPATRICK: Of course. It's all positives, but you want to win. Obviously you are going to lose more times than you win in this game, but you want to give yourself the best chance and being five behind isn't as good a chance as if I were four, three, two, one behind. That's obviously disappointing with the scores being much lower today as well. But it is what it is. Can't do anything about it now.

Q. Is the biggest difference how you feel with an iron in your hand? Is that the biggest difference over, say, a few months ago?

MATT FITZPATRICK: Yeah, 100 percent. I just don't feel like the shots are matching my intention. That's the biggest difference.

Q. You mentioned the putting improvement for Scottie. You went through a similar transformation, just with your driver. How much respect do you have for one of your peers to take what seemingly is a weakness and turn it into a strength like you did?

MATT FITZPATRICK: Yeah, obviously -- yeah, I guess it's mixed. At the end of the day, it's your job. If you want to be the best, you've got to put the work in. It's not just going to happen overnight. I would expect that of someone of a high class professional that Scottie is. I wouldn't expect anything else.

Yeah, there's definitely plaudits for doing that, putting in the work, but at the same time it's to be expected. I think that's the minimum standard of work really.

Q. You're not seriously doubting about the Ryder Cup, are you?

MATT FITZPATRICK: I've told everyone the whole time, I'm not bothered about the Ryder Cup.

Q. You're not thinking about it?

MATT FITZPATRICK: No, I'm just concentrating on myself.

Q. You don't say you don't care about it?

MATT FITZPATRICK: No, not like that. Of course I care. Of course I want to be there. I've just been concentrating on my own stuff, and that will take care of itself.