Matt Fitzpatrick’s sole major championship victory to date came at Brookline in the 2022 U.S. Open.
As Matt Fitzpatrick tees off at Aronimink on Thursday, he will be aiming to break a 107-year drought for English winners at the U.S. PGA Championship.
Jim Barnes holds the distinction of being the first and last, having secured victories at the inaugural tournaments in 1916 and 1919.
However, Fitzpatrick, hailing from Sheffield, is arguably the best-positioned Englishman to bring this extended wait to an end.
The 31-year-old has enjoyed his strongest start to a PGA Tour season, with three wins in his last five starts and over $10.5 million (£7.8 million) in earnings already in 2026.
With only Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, and Cameron Young ranked above him in the world, Fitzpatrick believes his game is in a better state than when he captured the 2022 U.S. Open.
His second-place finish at the PGA Tour’s prestigious Players Championship in March was followed by a victory at the Valspar Championship and a strong showing at the Masters in April, the year’s first major.
He then triumphed over Scheffler in a play-off to win the RBC Heritage, followed by further success alongside his brother Alex at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.
“I think 2022 was my golden period, and I said for two, three years afterwards it was the best period that I had ever played,” Fitzpatrick stated.
“But the start of this year has definitely eclipsed that because of the results [and] the underlying numbers themselves have definitely been better.
“I’m trying to cherish it as much as possible. It’s all happening very quickly.”
U.S. PGA Championship
Thursday, May 14 – Sunday, May 17
Aronimink Golf Club, Pennsylvania
Live text commentary of rounds one and two on Thursday and Friday from 12:30 BST, and of rounds three and four on Saturday and Sunday from 17:00.
Live radio commentary of Saturday’s round three from 20:00 BST on Sports Extra; Sunday’s final round from 20:00 on 5 Live (all timings subject to change)
Fitzpatrick’s current form stands in stark contrast to just 12 months ago, when he arrived at Quail Hollow for the 2025 PGA Championship without a top-20 finish on tour that year and ranked a lowly 85th in the world.
A review of his statistics for this year reveals the reason for his sharp ascent.
He ranks among the top five on the PGA Tour for strokes gained off the tee, strokes gained from tee to green, and strokes gained approaching the green – all key indicators of a player’s form, measured as the average number of strokes they are better or worse than the field average.
While not among the longest drivers, Fitzpatrick is top six for accuracy, which will be crucial at Aronimink, renowned for its fairway bunkers.
The primary cause for concern may be his putting. Fitzpatrick is ranked 99th on the PGA Tour going into this week, on a course where he believes the “greens are going to be the defense.”
However, historical statistics suggest his putting is one of the strongest aspects of his game, having been in the top 30 in strokes gained with the putter in each of the past four seasons.
Matt and Alex Fitzpatrick made history by becoming the first brothers to win a PGA Tour event at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.
Fitzpatrick’s resurgence has coincided with his younger brother Alex also making headlines.
The siblings’ pairs win in New Orleans earned Alex a two-year PGA Tour card, and the 27-year-old led after 54 holes before finishing fourth in last week’s Truist Championship.
“We haven’t really been in contention together yet, but I would imagine it’s going to be a weird feeling when that time does come,” Matt said.
“I’ve been impressed more than anything. I’m super proud of him for how he’s been playing. I’m probably known as Alex’s brother now, as opposed to him being Matt’s brother.”
At the end of 2025, Alex was 203rd in the world, but he has climbed to 83rd and will be looking to build on a highly impressive joint-17th in his solitary major appearance to date, at Hoylake in the 2023 Open Championship.
While Matt has adopted a data-driven method to his quest to add to his U.S. Open victory at Brookline four years ago—he is known for writing detailed notes after every shot—he says his approach, both on and off the course, is not mirrored by his younger brother.
“He is messy, I would say. We shared a bathroom last week, actually, in the house that we shared, and it was a little bit messier than my side of the bathroom,” Matt smiled.
“I think he probably wanted to create his own path. He’s not really numbers-orientated. I like to know the numbers.
“I personally just think that’s kind of good practice, not being over-analytical. I think Alex is definitely more go with the flow. He is doing a good job of where he is at the minute.”