Matt Fitzpatrick is having the season of his life.
The Englishman has won three times on the PGA Tour this year, beating Scottie Scheffler in a playoff at the RBC Heritage and winning alongside his brother at the Zurich Classic.
He’s a contender week-in, week-out, and proved as much at last week’s Scottish Open, throwing his name into the mix going into the final day.
All that’s missing from the perfect season is a major, and he has one last chance in 2026 at his home Open Championship. He’ll be encouraged by the talk surrounding him pre-tournament, as he’s been dubbed the favorite early in the week.
Nick Dougherty picks Matt Fitzpatrick as favorite to win The Open
Fitzpatrick has been in fine form in 2026, and comes into The Open with three top fives in his last four events.
That’s why Sky Sports analyst Nick Dougherty thinks he’s the favorite to win at Birkdale. Speaking on the Sky Sports Golf Podcast, he said, “ I think it’s quite scary. He’s a bit of a silent assassin. But you look at his record, the record he’s had this year has been stupendous.
“The putter, ironically, the stats say he hasn’t been brilliant, but he hits the putts when he needs them. And last week, he putted really nicely, and his iron play last week, he delivered what has been his one of his best ever performances.
“So, I just think when you look at the test here and what you just talked about in terms of the sort of shot making required, I think I would go as far as to say I think he’s probably the favorite in my mind in terms of the form horse, he is the man coming in.
“And if you’re looking at getting past that, I mean, 1992 is a long time since there it was an English winner. But if someone is capable mentally of climbing over that hurdle, it’s definitely someone like him.”
Matt Fitzpatrick’s concerning major championship form
As mentioned, Fitzpatrick has been in the top five in three of his last four events, but the one anomaly is part of a concerning trend. That was at the US Open, where he finished solo 22nd.
Fitzpatrick has not finished in the top 10 of any major championship this year, which is a blip on what has been a phenomenal season on the PGA Tour. He looked like he was going to be in the mix at the US Open, but he slid down the leaderboard on the weekend.
The Englishman typically excels on difficult golf courses, and he’s a major champion, so it’s strange that he’s not been able to compete at the biggest events of the year all season long.
But on a firm and fast Birkdale which plays to his strengths, it would be shocking if he wasn’t in the mix late on Sunday this week.
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