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Fitzpatrick claims U.S. Amateur

BROOKLINE, Mass. — One hundred years after British superstars Harry Vardon and Ted Ray stopped at The Country Club on their unsuccessful victory tour, Matt Fitzpatrick finished the job.

Fitzpatrick won the U.S. Amateur on Sunday, beating Australian Oliver Goss 4 and 3 in the 36-hole final Sunday to become the event’s first English champion since 1911. The 18-year-old soon-to-be Northwestern freshman is the first foreigner to win any major USGA event at The Country Club, a streak that grew into a legend when Francis Ouimet beat Vardon and Ray here in the 1913 U.S. Open.

“It’s fantastic and it’s nice to be the first (in) a while,” Fitzpatrick said. “I guess it’s great to go down in history. That’s sort of what everyone wants in golf, wants to achieve. ... It’s just fantastic, and I feel great.”

Fitzpatrick never trailed in the final match, taking the lead for good on the second hole of the afternoon round — the 20th of the day — and going 2 up one hole later. Goss cut it to one on No. 9, but fell behind two again on the 10th hole when he lipped out on a 4-foot putt.

Fitzpatrick went 3 up on the 14th hole and then on No. 15, where he had won four of his previous five matches, he was short of the green and Goss was off the back.

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