Matt Fitzpatrick will bid to shut the hole to Rory McIlroy on the high of the DP World Tour rankings as he defends his Andalucia Masters title at Valderrama.
Fitzpatrick, who completed simply 17.8 factors behind winner Lee Westwood on the cash record in 2020 regardless of successful the season finale in Dubai, is at the moment 998.6 factors adrift of pacesetter McIlroy.
Nonetheless, the US Open champion can virtually halve that deficit with a profitable defence on the former Ryder Cup venue, the place he claimed his seventh DP World Tour title 12 months in the past.
“It’s all the time been a aim (to win the cash record),” Fitzpatrick stated. “The best way I have a look at is that you just obtain that aim from enjoying nicely the entire season; it’s not one thing I actually have a look at till you mainly get to Dubai.
“This yr me and Rory are up there so it is a likelihood for me to make up some floor this week.
“Sadly we’ve each performed very nicely spherical Dubai earlier than, so if all of it got here all the way down to that it will be thrilling. If I can have week this week and provides myself an opportunity going into Dubai, then we’ll see.
“I’m actually wanting ahead to it. The course is in nice form and brings again some good reminiscences from final yr.
“Persistence is essential. I had 15 pars in a row (in final yr’s closing spherical), made my first birdie on 16 after which birdied 17 to provide myself a cushion going into 18.
“However endurance is the important thing, it’s about not getting pissed off by bogeys. Generally making a bogey is nice, it may have been extra. In the event you can restrict them, a successful rating spherical right here sometimes isn’t low, so it’s simply essential to maintain your self in it.
“There are simply so many issues that make this a troublesome check. The greens are small, fairways are tight, bushes in all places, the wind is swirling. It’s only a actual check of every part.”
Whereas the tight, tree-lined Valderrama might not be each participant’s favorite venue, Fitzpatrick is relishing the problem and has made a deliberate selection to pick venues which go well with his recreation following his US Open triumph at Brookline in June.
“Loads has modified, expectations have modified, ideas about every part have modified,” the 28-year-old from Sheffield added.
“For the reason that US Open, I really feel like I wish to play occasions that I wish to play. I’m going to locations the place I wish to be and luxuriate in being, and it is a prime instance of a kind of.”