Matt Fitzpatrick's PGA Tour season ended Sunday after he failed to finish in the top 30 in the FedExCup standings and failed to advance to the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Course.
But Fitzpatrick's season ended on a note of frustration outside of his own game, when he was seen venting his anger at PGA Tour officials during the final round of the BMW Championship on Sunday.
On the eighth hole, Fitzpatrick had a visible crack in his bag and wanted to replace his driver, but PGA Tour officials determined the crack in the driver head was not severe enough to warrant a new driver.
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Matt Fitzpatrick of Great Britain hits a shot from the seventh tee during the final round of the FedEx St. Jude Championship at TPC Southwind on August 18, 2024 in Memphis, Tennessee. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
As a result, Fitzpatrick had to tee off with a broken driver, which flew low and off the face after hitting the ball, and according to Fitzpatrick, the ball flew 50 yards shorter than it had traveled all day.
Fitzpatrick was tied for 30th at the time at 2 under par, but finished the tournament tied for 28th at 1 under par.
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“There's obviously a crack there that's causing some issues with the ball flight,” Fitzpatrick was quoted as saying to the umpire after hooking his driver on the eighth hole.
“We said no,” the official told Fitzpatrick.
“So I have to use a 3-wood for the rest of the day?” Fitzpatrick replied. “Is that so? … No way.”
The umpire, who received confirmation that Fitzpatrick is not allowed to change driver heads on the PGA Tour, called returning Fitzpatrick's clubs “a total joke.”
Matt Fitzpatrick of Great Britain hits a shot on the first hole during the second round of the BMW Championship at Castle Pines Golf Club on August 23, 2024 in Castle Rock, Colorado. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
“Our assessment was that the umpire, as well as several others, including myself, did not adequately meet the criteria for significant injury,” PGA Tour umpire Stephen Cox told Golf Digest.
“There was a small crack on the face, but no metal spalling, so it didn't meet the criteria. So, in that case, his only option was to continue using that club. Now, if the club deteriorates further, of course we will continue to re-evaluate, but at that point he may have been able to remove the club. But in his case, he chose not to continue using the club and I think he continued using a 3-wood from that point on.”
During the PGA Tour's live broadcast of the event, Kevin Kisner called the call “terrible” and said he believed Fitzpatrick teed off with a club on the eighth hole to prove that the club head was affecting the flight of the ball.
Fitzpatrick's performance at Castle Pines Golf Club in Douglas County, Colorado, has eliminated the British pro from the Tour Championship, which offers $25 million in prize money to the 30 golfers who compete. The last-place finisher at East Lake will receive $550,000.
Matt Fitzpatrick of Great Britain walks onto the first green during the first round of the BMW Championship at Castle Pines Golf Club on August 22, 2024 in Castle Rock, Colorado. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
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Fitzpatrick finished 40th in FedEx Cup points this year and had three top-10 finishes but no wins this season.
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