Photo by: Andy Mead
Deacon Sports Xtra: Fitzpatrick Finds Home, and Success, at Wake Forest
4/1/2021 12:15:00 PM | Men's Golf
Wake Forest junior Alex Fitzpatrick led the Valspar Collegiate in Palm City, Florida after the first day play of 36 holes, then went into the final round with a plan.
"I went into the last round knowing I was playing some good golf and I was fairly confident," he said. "My goal was just to hit fairways and greens and I did a good job of sticking to that. I hit 18 greens in the last round, which isn't very common, especially for a course like that. I was over the moon to have to be able to grab my first PGA spot."
He carded consistent scores of 67, 66 and 68 through the three rounds, going bogey-free in the final 18. The victory earned Fitzpatrick an exemption into The Valspar Championship, a PGA event in Tampa, Florida that he's going to play next year.
"Any golfer would want to play on the PGA tour and to have the chance to play my first one, and hopefully my brother (Matthew) will be playing in it, so I'll get to play my first one with him," Fitzpatrick said. "That's something I've always wanted to do. So hopefully it will be a lot of fun and an amazing experience."
With the Demon Deacons toward the top of the national rankings, it's shaping up to be a busy couple of months ahead for Fitzpatrick.
"I've secured my place in the Walker Cup," he said. "That's just before Regionals, then I have the Palmer Cup after Nationals, so it's going to be a busy five-or-six weeks ahead.
"I'd rather play every week than not play at all. It was a tough fall for everyone in the ACC. Everyone wants to play. Now that spring is here, everyone is playing and competing. I feel like we're doing a good job of playing together, so we're excited about what the future holds."
The ACC Championship is set to take place April 23-26 at Crabapple Country Club in Atlanta, Georgia. Two weeks later, the NCAA Regionals are scheduled, with the National Championship set to be decided May 28 through June 2 at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona.
"I believe we have one of, if not the strongest team in college golf," Fitzpatrick said. "We have a bunch of talented players who are all capable of going low. As long as we play well on the right day I think we're more than capable of bringing home a national championship."
Although Fitzpatrick was ranked in the top-30 of the World Amateur Golf Rankings, he got a late start in the college recruiting process.
"It's even harder overseas, because you don't really understand which are the better places to attend," he said. "I visited a couple schools and realized that they weren't for me.
"It was suggested that I email coach (Jerry) Haas for a visit and I did. I was invited to visit, I came across, stepped on campus and knew it was the one. This is the place for me. I saw the facilities, met the people and knew it was the right place."
Despite getting a late start of making a college decision, the process played out perfectly, Fitzpatrick believes.
"I couldn't have made a better decision," he said. "I have amazing coaches, teammates and friends. I got really lucky with my decision. I never could have imagined being so happy and comfortable in a place so far from home."
The working plan for Fitzpatrick is to take advantage of the extra year of collegiate eligibility allowed by the NCAA to those impacted last year and this year by the Covid-19 pandemic. That means he'll be representing the Demon Deacons for this season and two more to come.
"I decided to do a fifth year, and that is my plan right now," Fitzpatrick said. "I haven't decided what to get my master's in, but probably something in business. Then when college is over, turn pro and see where the tour takes me.
"I'm looking forward to coming back the next two years and hopefully we can win three national championships, not just one. We have great players, so I'm excited about what the rest of the year has in store for us."
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"I went into the last round knowing I was playing some good golf and I was fairly confident," he said. "My goal was just to hit fairways and greens and I did a good job of sticking to that. I hit 18 greens in the last round, which isn't very common, especially for a course like that. I was over the moon to have to be able to grab my first PGA spot."
He carded consistent scores of 67, 66 and 68 through the three rounds, going bogey-free in the final 18. The victory earned Fitzpatrick an exemption into The Valspar Championship, a PGA event in Tampa, Florida that he's going to play next year.
"Any golfer would want to play on the PGA tour and to have the chance to play my first one, and hopefully my brother (Matthew) will be playing in it, so I'll get to play my first one with him," Fitzpatrick said. "That's something I've always wanted to do. So hopefully it will be a lot of fun and an amazing experience."
With the Demon Deacons toward the top of the national rankings, it's shaping up to be a busy couple of months ahead for Fitzpatrick.
"I've secured my place in the Walker Cup," he said. "That's just before Regionals, then I have the Palmer Cup after Nationals, so it's going to be a busy five-or-six weeks ahead.
"I'd rather play every week than not play at all. It was a tough fall for everyone in the ACC. Everyone wants to play. Now that spring is here, everyone is playing and competing. I feel like we're doing a good job of playing together, so we're excited about what the future holds."
The ACC Championship is set to take place April 23-26 at Crabapple Country Club in Atlanta, Georgia. Two weeks later, the NCAA Regionals are scheduled, with the National Championship set to be decided May 28 through June 2 at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona.
"I believe we have one of, if not the strongest team in college golf," Fitzpatrick said. "We have a bunch of talented players who are all capable of going low. As long as we play well on the right day I think we're more than capable of bringing home a national championship."
Although Fitzpatrick was ranked in the top-30 of the World Amateur Golf Rankings, he got a late start in the college recruiting process.
"It's even harder overseas, because you don't really understand which are the better places to attend," he said. "I visited a couple schools and realized that they weren't for me.
"It was suggested that I email coach (Jerry) Haas for a visit and I did. I was invited to visit, I came across, stepped on campus and knew it was the one. This is the place for me. I saw the facilities, met the people and knew it was the right place."
Despite getting a late start of making a college decision, the process played out perfectly, Fitzpatrick believes.
"I couldn't have made a better decision," he said. "I have amazing coaches, teammates and friends. I got really lucky with my decision. I never could have imagined being so happy and comfortable in a place so far from home."
The working plan for Fitzpatrick is to take advantage of the extra year of collegiate eligibility allowed by the NCAA to those impacted last year and this year by the Covid-19 pandemic. That means he'll be representing the Demon Deacons for this season and two more to come.
"I decided to do a fifth year, and that is my plan right now," Fitzpatrick said. "I haven't decided what to get my master's in, but probably something in business. Then when college is over, turn pro and see where the tour takes me.
"I'm looking forward to coming back the next two years and hopefully we can win three national championships, not just one. We have great players, so I'm excited about what the rest of the year has in store for us."
Not yet a subscriber or know someone who would like to receive these stories in their email inbox? Click here for the DSX subscription link - share it with your friends!
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Golf
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