Matt Fitzpatrick is eyeing his third Omega European Masters title this week, and his caddie knows the tournament and its venue better than most.
Billy Foster, who was recognized a week ago for more than 40 years of service on the DP World Tour, is the man on the shoulder, hoping to help Fitzpatrick become the fourth player to win the historic event three times, joining Seve Ballesteros, Harold Henning and Dai Rees.
Foster had worked with Ballesteros before, but only after the Spaniard's three victories in the Alps in 1989, and he has returned to Crans-Montana regularly over the years along with other players.
Fitzpatrick, who won the Alpine Championship twice in 2017 and 2018, teamed up with Foster in 2019 and the two have since enjoyed great success together, most notably winning the U.S. Open in 2022. Their other great achievements together include the 2023 Ryder Cup, last year's PGA Tour title at the RBC Heritage and the 2020 DP World Tour Championship.
“He’s been doing really well since he started as a blocker in 2019,” Fitzpatrick said of Foster. This is the third time the two have competed in the event as a pair, and they tied for third last year.
“His experience is unrivalled, especially when I needed it. He has probably been here as long as anyone else and has had as much success as anyone else, and this award is a testament to his hard work over the years.
“He’s 42, 43 years old, but he still walks every inch of the golf course, trying to find every detail to help us get a good score.
“He’s a great caddie.”
This will be Fitzpatrick’s eighth appearance at Cranes-sur-Schöne Golf Club, having made his debut in 2014 and having won twice while also notching an impressive three top-10 finishes.
As a result of these and a thumb injury that forced him out of the Olympic men's golf tournament at the French National Golf Club last month, the 30-year-old has now recovered and is looking forward to making more memories.
“I certainly love coming here,” said the world No. 27. “Having had some really good results here as well. As you know, overall it's always a great week here.
“I won all of his titles in the play-offs, which was pretty cool.
“Winning this game, in the small town, the golf course, the beautiful scenery [are what makes] It’s a special place and obviously, having won it twice, I really want to get a third one.”
Fitzpatrick, who is 40th in the PGA Tour FedEx Cup standings, took two weeks off after missing out on qualifying for the Tour Championship.
It’s a family affair as he’s once again competing alongside his brother Alex, who tied for fifth in his debut here last year. So will the DP World Tour rookie be looking to his major-winning brother for advice this week about the challenges of competing at altitude?
“Not really,” Matt responded. “Obviously if he has any questions I'm more than happy to share them with him, but by and large he does his own thing.”
He added: “This [distance wise] About 10% away. For us, that's what we're concerned about. It varies with temperature and some other factors. [like] Time of day.
“It's a golf course you have to think about carefully. You have to do your homework. They've changed it pretty significantly over the last few years. All of these things have improved the golf course, so you have to keep an eye on that.”
