Matt Fitzpatrick admits he is managing his expectations at this week’s Masters Tournament as he continues his “rebuild phase” after an injury-hit start to the year.
The Englishman began 2023 high on confidence after consistent campaigns on both sides of the Atlantic last year, with the highlight being his breakthrough Major Championship victory at the U.S. Open.
However, after finishing in a tie for seventh at the Sentry Tournament of Champions in his opening event of the year, he suffered a neck injury which has hindered his hopes of building momentum.
He has also suffered from shoulder and chest pain, with a scan in February revealing a “slight disk bulge” but despite now playing without any discomfort, the World Number 15 is realistic about his chances at Augusta National.
Masters week!! 🌺 pic.twitter.com/21j5e37qKM
— Matt Fitzpatrick (@MattFitz94) April 4, 2023
“My expectations in previous years, throughout my whole career, have been very high,” he said.
“I felt given the work that I put into my game, that's where I want to be. But I definitely feel better physically. I definitely feel better mentally.
“I feel like my game is kind of slowly getting there, but at the same time I'm still in an early kind of, effectively, a rebuild phase of getting stronger and swinging it better.
“I think it's kind of just trying to keep my expectations at the right level to match where I'm currently at with my game.”
In addition to his U.S. Open win at Brookline last June, Fitzpatrick registered 11 other top tens worldwide and finished fourth on last season’s Race to Dubai Rankings in Partnership with Rolex.
“The timing of [the injury] put me straight behind the eight-ball,” he said. “All of a sudden, the work I had done in the off-season just became non-existent.”
Fitzpatrick, whose best finish at Augusta so far in his career was a tie for seventh in 2016, praised the support he has received from his team during his recent injury recovery.
“Definitely not Billy because Billy was like, ‘Oh, just get on with it’,” the 28-year-old joked of caddie Billy Foster.
“But my coach, Mike Walker, has been fantastic in that. I work with a psychologist as well in the UK, Robbie Anderson, and he's been very helpful, too. But Mike has been a big part of that.”
The eight-time DP World Tour winner will get his Masters campaign under way alongside two-time Major winner Collin Morikawa and Will Zalatoris at 1:24pm local time on Thursday.
