Fitzpatrick is Yorkshire Boys Champion

“It was a very boring win.”

So spoke Hallamshire’s Alex Fitzpatrick after becoming Yorkshire Boys Champion at Harrogate.

Rounds of 70 and 69 – the afternoon round comprising 18 pars - gave Alex a two-shot victory from James Swash of Middlesbrough, with another Sheffield prospect, George Nicholson of Silkstone, in third on 142.

“I had 34 pars in the day,” elaborated the Champion, “one double bogey and one birdie.”

The consistent approach, however, was exactly what Alex was looking for. “I never used my driver all day, and I only hit three three-woods. The rest was plotting my way round with irons, staying patient despite not making birdies and sticking to a game plan.”

The tactical approach marks a departure for a player with considerable power at his disposal. Needless to say, the new approach was largely influenced by Alex’s father, Russ. “My Dad’s quite big on planning your way. And I noticed last year that the more I plotted, the more consistent my play was. And the lower I scored!”

The victory paves the way for a busy summer of golf for Alex – once he has got his three remaining A-Level exams out of the way – which will include trips to Nairn for the British Boys, twice to The Berkshire (for the Berkshire Trophy and the English Amateur) and also to Walton Heath for the European Amateur, for which he receives an exemption as a member of Great Britain’s Jacques Leglise Trophy side last year.

After that, he has the prospect of a place at Wake Forest University in North Carolina in September 2018. “I’m certainly following in the footsteps of some big names,” admits Alex, referring to such stars as Arnold Palmer, Curtis Strange, and Darren Clarke, just some of the major winners to have attended Wake Forest.

Despite the exams and irons off the tee, then, his life isn’t really that boring at the moment.

Alex Fitzpatrick receives the Yorkshire Boys Trophy from YUGC President Alistair Davidson

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