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Matthew Fitzpatrick holed a 5-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole to shoot 67 and win the DP World Tour Championship by a single shot over fellow Englishman Tyrell Hatton.
The tournament capped the European Tour’s Race to Dubai, similar to the PGA Tour’s year-long FedEx Cup. It’s Fitzpatrick’s second win of the season after he captured the Nordea Masters in June, and the third win of his young career. The 22-year-old will move comfortably into the top-50 in the Official World Golf Ranking when the new ranking is released on Monday.
Fitzpatrick, who made his Ryder Cup debut in September, spent one quarter at Northwestern in 2013 before leaving school to focus on golf full-time. Despite his brief stay on campus, Fitzpatrick closely aligns himself with the university and visits Evanston multiple times a year.
Fitzpatrick entered Sunday’s final round at -12 and trailing France’s Victor Dubuisson by a single shot. He turned in 3-under 33 on the front nine before bogeying the 10th. He bounced back with birdies at the 11th and 12th to get him to -16. Fitzpatrick then made five straight pars before heading to the par-5 18th needing a par to secure a playoff and a birdie to win outright.
After his second shot found a greenside bunker, Fitzpatrick played a nifty bunker shot that left him with a 5-foot putt for the victory. Fitzpatrick’s effort found the center of the cup for a 5-under 67 and a massive victory. With the win, Fitzpatrick earned $1.28 million and another $350,000 for finishing 6th in the Race to Dubai. Henrik Stenson finished t-9th to clinch his second straight Race to Dubai title.