English former U.S. Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick has revealed he would love to work in professional soccer later in his career, despite having banked over $30 million from golf
Matt Fitzpatrick won his first PGA Tour event and major in 2022 at the U.S. Open(Image: Getty)
Former U.S. Open champ and Ryder Cup hopeful Matt Fitzpatrick has confessed his love for soccer over golf, admitting he’d one day like to work within the sport.
The Englishman made his Ryder Cup debut in 2016 after turning pro in 2014, but struggled to secure a PGA Tour title for a while. His big break came in 2022 when he clinched his first major win, as Fitzpatrick triumphed by a single stroke at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts, securing the U.S. Open.
He followed this victory with another in 2023, winning the RBC Heritage. Despite a dip in form, his recent performances have been on an upward trajectory, increasing his chances of making Luke Donald’s team for the September face-off against Team USA; however, Fitzpatrick’s true passion lies elsewhere.
“People think it’s a joke, but I love football [soccer] way more than golf,” Fitzpatrick revealed to the BBC with a smile. “I’m obsessed with football. It’s brilliant for me.
“I love supporting Sheffield United. Over here in the States, they show every game I could wish to see, which is amazing,” added the Florida-based golfer.
“How they use data, how culture is so important. Just fascinating. Finding little things that maybe we could take into golf – I feel like we’ve taken a lot from it.”
Fitzpatrick paraded the U.S. Open trophy at an English soccer ground after his 2022 win(Image: Getty)
Despite earning over $30 million from golf, Fitzpatrick’s passion for soccer has led him to express a desire to work within the sport in some capacity later in his career, although he acknowledges this is unlikely.
“I don’t know when I’ll ever get time to do this, but I’d love to work in football if the opportunity ever arose in some way, shape, or form,” Fitzpatrick shared. “That’s extremely wishful thinking, but I just find football so interesting to be part of. I love reading about it and everything about it.”
However, at present, Fitzpatrick’s focus isn’t on a career in soccer, but rather the 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black, New York, in September.
Fitzpatrick has participated in the competition three times, in 2016, 2021 and 2023, but currently sits far from the six automatic Team Europe qualification spots.
“It is nice to play well at the crunch time; the play-offs and the Ryder Cup,” the Englishman continued, hopeful that he can be one of Donald’s six captain’s picks. “To be part of that would be very special again.
“I still want to be part of it to give myself a chance to improve on it. In the last 15 months there’s been an extra effort to try and be a little bit more forgiving to myself and understanding my own psychology really.
“My biggest thing I would take away from the slump is catching things earlier. I can’t afford to get to that stage again. It was a tough time for me and the problem was it went on for so long.
“You can’t afford to be behind the eight ball and you need to catch those things as early as you can, and turn them round as quickly as you can.”
