Matthew Fitzpatrick wins US Amateur

Matthew Fitzpatrick beat Australian Ollie Goss 4&3 in the final of the US Amateur at The Country Club in Massachussets to become the first English winner since Harold Hilton in 1911

Matthew Fitzpatrick beat Australian Ollie Goss 4&3 in the final of the US Amateur at The Country Club in Massachussets to become the first Englishman to win the coveted title for 102 years.

Fitzpatrick - who won the Silver Medal at this year's Open Championship - will now be invited to compete in the 2013 Masters, Open and US Open.

The last Englishman to win the US Amateur was Golf Monthly founder Harold Hilton in 1911. By that point, he'd already won two US Opens.

He's also assured of a place in next month's Walker Cup in Long Island, where he will spearhead Great Britain and Ireland's attempt to retain the amateur equivalent of the Ryder Cup.

"As everyone says, Augusta is golfing heaven and to get in the other majors is unbelievable as well," said Fitzpatrick.

"It's virtually impossible to get a game at Augusta. This was my best opportunity."

Fitzpatrick defeated 21-year-old Canadian Corey Conners 2&1 in the semi-final to earn a place in the 36-hole final.

He played some fine golf to move into a 3up lead at lunch, and despite a stuttery start to the afternoon session, he holed an eight-footer on the 15th hole to complete a brilliant 4&3 victory.

Fitzpatrick will now take part in the Walker Cup before heading to Northwestern University in Chicago for the first of his four college years.

The Englishman reiterated his desire to complete his studies before turning professional so he has 'something to fall back on'.

Based on his performances over the last two months, he has nothing to worry about.

Nick Bonfield
Features Editor

Nick Bonfield joined Golf Monthly in 2012 after graduating from Exeter University and earning an NCTJ-accredited journalism diploma from News Associates in Wimbledon. He is responsible for managing production of the magazine, sub-editing, writing, commissioning and coordinating all features across print and online. Most of his online work is opinion-based and typically centres around the Majors and significant events in the global golfing calendar. Nick has been an avid golf fan since the age of ten and became obsessed with the professional game after watching Mike Weir and Shaun Micheel win The Masters and PGA Championship respectively in 2003. In his time with Golf Monthly, he's interviewed the likes of Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose, Jose Maria Olazabal, Henrik Stenson, Padraig Harrington, Lee Westwood and Billy Horschel and has ghost-written columns for Westwood, Wayne Riley, Matthew Southgate, Chris Wood and Eddie Pepperell. Nick is a 12-handicap golfer and his favourite courses include Old Head, Sunningdale New, Penha Longha, Valderrama and Bearwood Lakes. If you have a feature pitch for Nick, please email nick.bonfield@futurenet.com with 'Pitch' in the subject line. Nick is currently playing: Driver: TaylorMade M1 Fairway wood: TaylorMade RBZ Stage 2 Hybrid: Ping Crossover Irons (4-9): Nike Vapor Speed Wedges: Cleveland CBX Full Face, 56˚, Titleist Vokey SM4, 60˚ Putter: testing in progress! Ball: TaylorMade TP5x