Roughly halfway through the 2026 PGA Tour season, few players have matched the level of consistency that Matt Fitzpatrick has shown from January through June.
Across 14 tournaments this season, Fitzpatrick has made the cut every single time, logged 10 top-25 finishes, placed in the top three five times, and claimed three victories.
Last week, he came within one spot of a fourth win, finishing runner-up at the RBC Canadian Open. With that momentum heading into the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y., it’s no surprise that Fitzpatrick is hoping the course will be set up to challenge the field as much as possible.
“Really like the golf course. It’s looking great already,” Fitzpatrick said at his Monday press conference. “Actually a little bit disappointed that they’re out there watering it right now.”
The 31-year-old’s lone major title came at the 2022 U.S. Open, where he edged out Will Zalatoris and Scottie Scheffler by a single stroke at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass., finishing at 6-under-par 274. That victory came on a demanding layout, and Fitzpatrick has made no secret of his preference for courses that require precision over power.
“I don’t particularly like playing birdie-fests,” he said.
“For me, this golf course, I think when it is really tough like that, I enjoy that challenge because you have to do your homework and you have to hit good shots, and that’s what I think any good golf tournament should require.”
Shinnecock Hills last hosted the U.S. Open in 2018, when Brooks Koepka took the title despite finishing 1 over par — a testament to just how punishing the course can be. Fitzpatrick, who was 23 at the time, tied for 12th place that week at 8 over, hampered by a 5-over third round.
Now returning to Shinnecock eight years later, Fitzpatrick was quick to share the credit for his improved play with the people around him rather than taking it for himself.
“I’ve always liked to feel like I praise my team a lot. They put in a lot of hard work for me and try and help me become the best player I can be,” he said. “Mark Blackburn has done a brilliant job from a technical standpoint on my swing. My iron swing is very different to what it was in the past, and that’s been the biggest change, I think, from this year compared to previous years.”
“With that, that’s obviously given me more opportunities, and I know when I putt well, I can putt well and, I think, take advantage of those opportunities. That’s been the biggest thing,” Fitzpatrick added.
