How adding distance helped Matt Fitzpatrick win the U.S. Open

BROOKLINE, Mass. – Small in stature, big in firepower.

After watching the golf world undergo a race for added distance, Matt Fitzpatrick figured if you can’t beat them, join them.

Incredible speed and distance gains over the past few years played a key role in the diminutive Englishman’s first major triumph, helping him conquer The Country Club, just as he’d done at the U.S. Amateur nine years earlier.

But back then he was just a skinny kid from Sheffield, England, not hitting it anywhere near as far as he is now, nearly a decade later.

It was after the 2020 U.S. Open that Fitzpatrick made headlines for questioning if hitting the ball far was truly a skill. But then he hitched up his socks and got to work.

With the help of a speed training system called The Stack, co-developed by biomechanics expert Sasho Mackenzie, Fitzpatrick has spent countless hours earning his distance gains. His average driving distance on the PGA TOUR has risen from 287.9 yards in 2019 to 298.1 in 2022. He averaged nearly 310 yards this week at Brookline to rank 16th in the field (while also ranking fifth in driving accuracy).

“Since 2020, … I've been doing (The Stack) religiously week in and week out. It's like going to the gym basically. It's like a training program. I'll be honest, it's worked wonders,” Fitzpatrick said.

Fitzpatrick, whose PGA TOUR profile lists him at just 155 pounds and 5 feet, 10 inches, ranks 10th on TOUR in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee this season, up from 59th in 2020 and 119th back in 2018. Combined with his always impressive iron game, Fitzpatrick ranks fifth on TOUR in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green (+1.6). He gained just +0.2 strokes per round in the same category two years ago.

Earlier this week, he outdrove playing partner Dustin Johnson on a number of occasions. He then backed up and did the same against the big-hitting Sam Burns in the third round. Fitzpatrick’s drive on the 15th hole traveled nearly 400 yards, stopping just past a road that crosses the fairway and leaving the radio announcers questioning if Fitpatrick had been forced to pitch out from the rough.

In the final round, Fitzpatrick drove the 301-yard fifth hole for a key birdie. Driving it past playing partner Will Zalatoris was a confidence booster during their back-and-forth tussle at Brookline.

“I feel like maybe four years ago if I was in this position, and I was playing with Will in the final group, I'd be concerned that I'm going to be 15, 20 (yards) behind him. But I felt comfortable all day that I was going to be past him, which gives me confidence obviously going into the next shot knowing that you've got less club,” he added. “There's a bit of a mentality thing that when you're hitting it past people, it's quite nice.”

FedExCup leader Scottie Scheffler certainly noticed, saying Fitzpatrick has made “extreme improvements” off the tee.

“I played with him in Austin this year, and he was not hitting it nearly as far as he is now,” said Scheffler, who tied for second with Zalatoris. “I don't know what he was doing. Maybe he was on the Bryson program or something. He's hitting the ball really well and has been knocking on the door for a long time. He definitely deserves this win.”

When Scheffler’s comments were put to the champion, he smiled and quipped, “I've done my drug test, and it was negative, so we're all good.”

Fitzpatrick started using the Stack system in 2020 but backed off midway through last year after some minor injuries, only to see his gains start to fade. So, he kicked it back up a notch to begin this year.

“I've been hard on it from the start this year. I've noticed an even bigger jump without really feeling like I'm going after it,” he said.

While he expects to soak up the win for some time, next in his sights is the 150th Open Championship at St. Andrews in July.

“It will be great. I love playing St. Andrews. It's a great golf course. It's going to be interesting, obviously, with the length and everything. And now I'm a bomber, I'll probably be driving most of the greens,” he laughed.

He might well do just that.