A tour player switching drivers mid-season is extremely rare, but Matt Fitzpatrick of England went so far as to pick up a weapon from an entirely different brand. So far, the result has been a roaring success.
World No. 4 Fitzpatrick shot a 6-under 64 with seven birdies and one bogey in the first round of the PGA Tour's Travelers Championship (total purse $20 million), held Thursday at TPC River Highlands (par 70) in Cromwell, Connecticut. Had even one or two of the several putts he narrowly missed dropped, he would have climbed higher.
He sits tied for second, one stroke behind sole leader Eric Cole of the United States at 7-under. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler of the United States is also in second. The Travelers is the season's final signature event.
Fitzpatrick did other things well, but his driver shots were especially strong. He missed the fairway just once, hitting 13 of 14 for a 93% fairway accuracy rate.
Fitzpatrick had been on a roll this season, already claiming three wins. Even at last week's major, the U.S. Open, his tied-for-22nd finish was not a disappointing result. But what bothered him was ranking 70th in driving (strokes gained: off the tee) during Sunday's final round. That was effectively last among the players who made the weekend.
Fitzpatrick, who had been using the Titleist GT3, made the decision to switch to the Ping G430 LST model just before this tournament. The effect was immediate. On the opening day, he ranked eighth overall in strokes gained: off the tee.
"I'm adapting smoothly to the new driver. It's thanks to three good days of practice after first putting it in my bag," Fitzpatrick said. "I think I've found a feel that fits better."
He explained that his original driver had cracked the day before the Truist Championship opened in May, and that while he searched for another product of the same brand and specifications, he ultimately could not find one that matched the swing intent he had in mind.
"You need chances not only for birdies but also to make comfortable pars. That's exactly what I struggled with last weekend," Fitzpatrick said, stressing, "You have to create your own chances to post a good score."
