Fitzpatrick leaves Northwestern

U.S. Amateur champion going back to England

    Writing from Chicago
    Thursday, January 9, 2014

    Just like that, the Matt Fitzpatrick era at Northwestern is over.
    The U.S. Amateur champion, coach Pat Goss’ most notable recruit since Luke Donald, is going back to England, effective the end of the fall semester.
    The news, first reported by Northwestern, came out of nowhere, Goss told Golfersongolf.com’s http://spears.golfersongolf.com/ Rory Spears:
    “I was surprised by the decision. All the feedback we got from Matt was he had a wonderful first quarter here. He loved the school, the city of Chicago, his teammates, the golf courses, practice. It was so overwhelmingly positive, when he called me to tell me he was going back, it caught me completely off guard.”
    “Matt just decided he has some real important golf opportunities as the U.S. Amateur champion and decided to focus on those opportunities.”
    Goss tried to put a good face on losing his top recruit, saying, “He’s a great kid and a great player. Even though he was here only one quarter, our players and our program benefitted from him being here.”
    Northwestern quoted Fitzpatrick: “I very much enjoyed my experience at Northwestern. The people, the school and the great city of Chicago all exceeded my expectations. Based on the opportunities I have right now from a golf perspective, I feel it is important to dedicate 100 percent of my time to the game and have decided to withdraw from university in the U.S.”
    The Englishman was expected to emulate countryman Donald, who fell in love with Chicago and still maintains his summer home here. Instead, it’s an NBA-style one semester and out.
    This would seem to indicate an early turn to professional as well. One can see Fitzpatrick playing in The Masters, U.S. Open and British Open as an amateur, piling up other amateur results, then turning pro in time for a go at the European Tour.
    During Northwestern’s fall season, Fitzpatrick tied for first at the Rod Myers Intercollegiate, hosted by Duke, in October, and grabbed two other top-20 placings.
    – Tim Cronin