One brutal loss, one hostile crowd, and one week later… Matt Fitzpatrick is somebody to fear in 2026.

If I were a fan of Matt Fitzpatrick, last week would have been so hard to watch.

But even after bogeying the 72nd hole at TPC Sawgrass to hand Cameron Young the Players Championship, Matt Fitzpatrick didn’t beeline for the parking lot. Instead, he went out of his way to find Young’s family… congratulated his wife, shook his dad’s hand, hugged his mom. That’s not just good sportsmanship. That’s a dude who is unbothered, completely locked in, and with very nice manners.

Let’s set the scene. The last few holes at Sawgrass felt less like a PGA Tour event and more like a Ryder Cup grudge match. Boos rained in Fitzpatrick’s direction on the 18th tee while USA chants showered Young. The crowd wanted blood. I don’t know about you, but this gets so annoying. And they got it when Fitzpatrick pushed his drive into the pine straw and bogeyed the last hole, losing the tournament.

But here’s what Fitz said about the crowd afterward: “Listen, the crowd, that was literally child’s play compared to Bethpage (referring to last year’s Ryder Cup event). If they think that was anything, then they need to reassess. Get yourself up to New York.”

And while walking down 18 with the boos getting louder… Fitzpatrick turned to Young and said, “Cam, do you hate me too?” Hahaha.

He wasn’t rattled… or maybe just a little.

One week later

Fitzpatrick came from three shots back on Sunday, closed bogey-free with a 68, and captured his first PGA Tour win since 2023 at the RBC Heritage, this time at the Valspar Championship. He buried a 30-footer at 15 and then drained a 13-footer at 18 to beat David Lipsky by one shot. His third PGA Tour title, worth $1,638,000, with his Tour exemption now running through 2029.

This isn’t a feel-good bounce-back story. This could be a warning. Fitzpatrick has been ascending the world rankings for six straight weeks… with some already wondering if he could unseat Tommy Fleetwood as world No. 3. His iron game is better than it’s ever been. His mental game? Apparently forged in the fire of Bethpage and sharpened further at Sawgrass.

When asked about the Masters, Fitzpatrick laughed and said, “I’m probably going to win.”

He got booed, he lost by one, he hugged the winner’s mom, and then came back seven days later and buried the one that ended it.

I am becoming a fan.