Ryder Cup star tells media room ‘I’m done’ after first press conference question

Ryder Cup diary: Neil McLeman reports from Rome with three days to go

Matt Fitzpatrick is fully focused on winning the Ryder Cup back for Europe this weekend but that didn’t stop one reporter from giving the Englishman an unwanted reminder about the current troubles of his beloved Sheffield United.

The 2022 US Open champion could be forgiven for wanting to forget about football this week after he witnessed the Blades suffer a humiliating 8-0 defeat against Eddie Howe’s Newcastle United at Bramall Lane on Sunday.

The world No 8 flew straight to Rome after the match and was determined to put the heavy defeat to the back of his mind with attentions switching to trying to regain the Ryder Cup at the Marco Simone Golf & Country Club.

But during a press conference on Tuesday, he could not escape a journalist’s question about the embarrassing mauling of his team. The reporter said: “I was hoping to leave this one until later and let you warm up a bit, but I gather that you’re a big Sheffield United fan.”

Fitzpatrick immediately interrupted him, saying: “OK, no more questions,” resulting in a ripple of laughter around the room.

The reporter continued: “I’m just wondering what your mood is given the drubbing that they got.” Looking at the team’s press officer, Fitzpatrick said: “Scott, I’m done.”

Unwilling to let the matter drop, the journalist then asked how Fitzpatrick was coping. He said: “I had the pleasure of being there on Sunday. Yeah, it wasn’t good. But I’m just really excited to be here this week really. From getting here late on Sunday night it’s been great so far.”

Keen to pull a bit more out of the Sheffield-born star, the reporter probed further, asking: “Has it helped with the mood? In all seriousness, if you’re a big football fan, to see your team get thumped like that – most of us have been there…”

“Well it can’t get any worse can it?” Fitzpatrick replied. “I am a massive football fan so it was a pretty sore one to take that’s for sure.”

The lifelong Blades supporter was given the opportunity to parade the US Open trophy around Bramall Lane last June after he clinched his maiden major championship at the US Open.

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The South Yorkshire club clinched promotion back to the Premier League last season but before the new campaign got underway, owner Prince Abdullah announced that he was open to proposals to sell the club.

Fitzpatrick was approached about the opportunity to invest as part of a takeover deal but turned it down. He wrote on Twitter: “I was asked, unfortunately, it’s out of my league (pardon the pun).”

The 29-year-old has already suffered a rout of his own in the Ryder Cup after the USA beat Europe by a record 19-9 scoreline at Whistling Straits in 2021, but the Englishman will be hoping for a different outcome in Italy this weekend.

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