Matt Fitzpatrick wins Andalucia Masters

Matt Fitzpatrick won his seventh European Tour title in style as he overturned a three-stroke deficit in the final round of the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters.

The Englishman started the day chasing compatriot Laurie Canter and parred the first 15 holes as his competitors made ground at the legendary Real Club Valderrama.
A three over par back nine put a halt to Canter’s title tilt as Sweden’s Sebastian Söderberg held the lead as he stood on the 17th tee, but a double-bogey, bogey finish on the notoriously difficult closing holes gave Fitzpatrick a clear run for his first victory since last year’s DP World Tour Championship.

Fitzpatrick birdied the 16th and 17th holes to move to six under and tapped in for par on the 18th as he signed for a bogey-free 69 and a three-stroke victory over Söderberg and Australia’s Min Woo Lee.
“Winning around Valderrama is something you want to tick off on the bucket list. To do it in the way that I did, with no bogeys in the final round was extra special," said Fitzpatrick.
"The big thing is, I’ve been here enough, Billy has been here more than enough. There isn’t a breather hole out here. 16 is a tough driver, 17, disaster can happen, 18, par is a great score. That was how I felt all day. I felt if I could hang in there, hang around and pick up a couple of birdies if possible, pars were never a bad thing, and that’s what I did."

Canter finished in a share of fourth alongside six others on two-under, with just 14 players finishing under par in Sotogrande.