US Open Champion Matt Fitzpatrick Snubbed By BBC Sports Personality Of The Year
The US Open champion missed out on the six-person BBC SPOTY shortlist
Matt Fitzpatrick has been left out of this year's BBC Sports Personality of the Year nominees despite capturing his maiden Major title at the US Open.
The Englishman defeated Will Zalatoris by a single stroke at the Country Club of Brookline, the same venue as his US Amateur Championship triumph in 2013, to become just the second English US Open winner since 1970.
His US Open win also featured what was arguably the greatest shot of the year, when he found the green on the 72nd hole from a tricky lie in a fairway bunker.
Shot of the year? @MattFitz94 pic.twitter.com/Q4A82DnOIIDecember 15, 2022
Fitzpatrick entered the world's top 10 for the first time in 2022 in a year where he also recorded two runners-up finishes and a T5 at the PGA Championship.
It was recently revealed that the 28-year-old “politely declined” an invitation to the awards, which do not historically favour golfers. The last golfer to win the award was Nick Faldo in 1989 after becoming the first Englishman to win The Masters.
The last golfer to finish in the top three was Rory McIlroy in 2014, who finished second after winning two Majors, The Open and PGA Championship, as well as the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and BMW PGA Championship. He was also a part of Europe's winning Ryder Cup team at Gleneagles.
"Try winning at least two majors next year, Matt Fitzpatrick. One just doesn’t cut it, I’m afraid," Sky Sports' Jamie Weir joked on Twitter, with a number of users critical of the BBC's perceived bias against the game of golf.
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"Just ridiculous. He won the bloody @usopengolf and isn’t even nominated You couldn’t make it up. How much more credibility do want to lose? @BBCSPOTY," one user replied.
"What has happened here? Does anyone who understands sport actually work for the BBC - Matt Fitzpatrick winning the US Open was the stand-out achievement of the year," another said.
The BBC has relinquished all live golf over recent years, with its golf coverage now including highlights of some of the biggest tournaments including The Masters, The Open, AIG Women's Open and BMW PGA Championship.
This year's BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award nominees are gymnast Jessica Gadirova, footballer Beth Mead, curling's Eve Muirhead, cricketer Ben Stokes, snooker player Ronnie O'Sullivan and athlete Jake Wightman.
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Elliott Heath is our News Editor and has been with Golf Monthly since early 2016 after graduating with a degree in Sports Journalism. He manages the Golf Monthly news team as well as our large Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages. He covered the 2022 Masters from Augusta National as well as five Open Championships on-site including the 150th at St Andrews. His first Open was in 2017 at Royal Birkdale, when he walked inside the ropes with Jordan Spieth during the Texan's memorable Claret Jug triumph. He has played 35 of our Top 100 golf courses, with his favourites being both Sunningdales, Woodhall Spa, Western Gailes, Old Head and Turnberry. He has been obsessed with the sport since the age of 8 and currently plays off of a six handicap. His golfing highlights are making albatross on the 9th hole on the Hotchkin Course at Woodhall Spa, shooting an under-par round, playing in the Aramco Team Series on the Ladies European Tour and making his one and only hole-in-one at the age of 15 - a long time ago now!
Elliott is currently playing:
Driver: Titleist TSR4
3 wood: Titleist TSi2
Hybrids: Titleist 816 H1
Irons: Mizuno MP5 5-PW
Wedges: Cleveland RTX ZipCore 50, 54, 58
Putter: Odyssey White Hot OG #5
Ball: Srixon Z Star XV
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