Matt Fitzpatrick will have to face one of the most hostile atmospheres in golf without two of his biggest supporters, after revealing that his parents have chosen not to travel to Bethpage Black for this year’s Ryder Cup.
The 31-year-old is making his fourth appearance in the biennial clash and is desperate to improve on a poor record of just one win from eight matches.
Despite that, his parents, Russell and Susan, have decided to sit out the trip to New York – partly because of the abuse they experienced at Whistling Straits in 2021 and partly because they are due to play in the Dunhill Links next week.
“They didn’t have a great experience in Whistling Straits,” Fitzpatrick admitted ahead of Friday’s opening session.
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“It’s also a lot of travel, it’s a busy and tiring week, and they want to enjoy Dunhill next week with me and my brother.
“Obviously, I’ll miss them, but I know they are doing what’s best for them.”
His wife, Katherine, will be in attendance, walking the course despite warnings about the raucous and at times vitriolic crowd at Bethpage.
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Matt Fitzpatrick will represent Team Europe at this year's Ryder Cup
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Fitzpatrick is confident she can handle whatever is thrown her way.
“We had that conversation, and she said it doesn’t matter – she’ll be out there whatever. She won’t be affected at all,” he said.
The Yorkshireman, who grew up in Sheffield, believes he is well equipped mentally to handle the barrage of noise expected in New York.
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Bethpage Black will play host to the 2025 Ryder Cup | GETTY“Being from Sheffield is probably a good start,” he joked.
“You’ve got to buy into it. I was having a laugh with some lads who said, ‘You’ll be here on Friday,’ and I was like, ‘Yeah, you’re probably right.’”
Fitzpatrick’s Ryder Cup record remains under scrutiny, with critics pointing to his 1-7 tally across three appearances.
He went 0-2 as a rookie at Hazeltine in 2016 and 0-3 at Whistling Straits five years later.
It wasn’t until Rome in 2023 that he finally broke his duck, partnering Rory McIlroy to defeat Collin Morikawa and Xander Schauffele 5&3 in the Friday fourballs.
Even then, he lost his next two matches, including a tense Sunday singles duel with Max Homa. But Fitzpatrick insists the numbers don’t tell the full story.
“In 2016, I’ll openly admit I wasn’t ready. I hadn’t played much golf in the States and I throw that one out of the window,” he added.
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Team Europe will be out to retain the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black this week | GETTY“In 2021, I felt I played really well and deserved more than I got, and Rome was similar.
“It’s frustrating, but the only thing I can do is keep making these teams and keep giving myself a chance to improve the record.”
Questions were asked about whether captain Luke Donald would select Fitzpatrick this year, but a run of form including top-10 finishes at the PGA Championship, The Open and the BMW PGA Championship secured his place.
He now has the chance to prove the doubters wrong when he partners Ryder Cup rookie Ludvig Åberg in Friday’s second foursomes match against world No 1 Scottie Scheffler and Russell Henley.
With Europe looking to win on US soil for the first time since the Miracle at Medinah in 2012, Fitzpatrick knows the time has come to deliver.
“I believed in the form I had shown since May,” he said. “I wasn’t guaranteed a spot, but I felt I deserved to be in the conversation. Now it’s about going out there and performing.”