Billy Foster Believes Matt Fitzpatrick is in Good Shape For The PGA Championship

Billy Foster believes Matt Fitzpatrick is in “pretty good shape,” to win this year’s PGA Championship, which will be held at Oak Hill Country Club from 18 May.

Fitzpatrick secured his second PGA Tour win at Hilton Head immediately after the Masters earlier in 2023 - and his caddie believes his recent form could add a second major championship.

“He’s in pretty good shape. You’ve got to be realistic about these things. The start of the season wasn’t great, he had a chance to win in Maui… but he didn’t play his best and finished seventh,” stated Foster.

Fitzpatrick won his inaugural major championship at the U.S. Open in 2022 - at the same location of his U.S. Amateur win a decade previously - and he added his second PGA Tour title at the RBC Heritage in April 2023.

However, prior to his trip to Augusta and Fitzpatrick was enduring a difficult spell.

“He had a poor run for a couple of months and you could see he was losing a bit of confidence and tried to change a few things,” Foster revealed.

“We had a couple of sit-down chats, we were bluntly honest and constructive and he’s moved on and played pretty well at the Masters, finishing in the top ten.”

(Image Credit: Kevin Diss Photography)

His impressive finish at the Masters spurred on victory the following week, as he beat Jordan Spieth thanks to a phenomenal iron on the final playoff hole.

To scoop victory so quickly after a troubling spell is commendable, but it is Fitzpatrick’s character to bounce back and look for that extra edge.

“His work ethic is like no other. The way he goes about plotting how to play the golf course along with me; he does a lot of his own notes as well.

“Just the way he logs every shot he hits and during practice he sticks to his strict routines that don’t change. He literally logs every shot: how far it’s gone left, how far it’s gone right, how far past the flag, even when he’s at practice.”

That level of preciseness is hugely beneficial for elite-level sport, which is especially true in the game of golf where a misjudged yard can be the difference between glory and severe disappointment.

For Foster, who has iconic names such as Seve Ballesteros, Tiger Woods and Lee Westwood on his resume, Fitzpatrick is the most professional player he’s had the honour to caddie for.

“You get what you see with Fitz. He is very, very disciplined. I’ve worked with some of the greatest players but he’s by far the most professional player I’ve ever worked for.

“He’s constantly trying to find that 0.5% that’s going to make him that tiny bit better. If it saves him one shot, it might just be the one shot that wins him a major championship.”

Fitzpatrick has long been touted for a marvellous career amongst golf’s greatest and his maiden two wins on American soil across the last 12 months is a testament to those predictions.

Prior to his victories in America, he was a seven-time DP World Tour champion, with his first win taking place in 2015.

His commitment to the game has been evident since he debuted on tour and through his terrific work ethic, there appears to be plenty more glory on the horizon for the Englishman.

“He’s meticulous in the way he thinks. He’s really professional and he deserves everything he gets to be quite honest.”

Fitzpatrick will have one watchful eye on 18 May, when the 2023 PGA Championship will officially begin.

Can the 28-year-old lean on his terrific year of golf to add another major championship to the trophy cabinet?

Billy Foster was speaking to BoyleSports about Golf Betting.