Fitzpatrick sets sights on world’s top 50

Matthew Fitzpatrick has set his sights on breaking into the world’s top 50 following his success at the British Masters last week.

The Englishman finished two strokes clear of Soren Kjeldsen, Shane Lowry and Fabrizio Zanotti on Sunday to secure his first ever victory on the European Tour and he has now moved up 52 places to 59th in the latest world rankings.

The 21-year-old was the youngest man in the field at Woburn and admits that the magnitude of his success has yet to sink in, although he confirmed that his maiden triumph has opened a lot of doors for him as he bids to have a sustained run of success.

He said: “It felt very surreal the day after, but it was fantastic to have my family there to see me win my first professional tournament. A lot of doors are open for me now, quite a few things are changing and I just have to stay focussed and keep taking it week by week.”

The Sheffield-born player confirmed that his next target is to break into the world’s top 50 and if he can do that before the end of the year then he will secure a place at Augusta in April for the Masters.

He continued: “If I make it into the top 50 by the end of the year it will mean a trip back to Augusta for the Masters plus various other things that I will get to play in. Hopefully I can do it and I am looking forward to the challenge.”

Tagged British Masters, Matthew Fitzpatrick