Big name Dustin Johnson may be heading home, but with the likes of starlet Matt Fitzpatrick, HK Open can easily cope
This year's field is stronger than ever, and even though world No.8 Johnson missed the cut, 21-year-old 'next Rory McIlroy' showed why he's one to watch
In days gone by it could have been a lethal blow. When your headliner goes home early, how to get critical mass for the next two days? Dustin Johnson came, he saw but he didn’t exactly conquer Fanling.
The number eight-ranked golfer in the world missed the cut at the UBS Hong Kong Open and for those of you who did not catch him in the first two days, there’s always next year. Maybe.
Johnson’s lacklustre one-over-par performance has him heading back home early but fortunately this year’s field is deep enough and intriguing enough to cover for his loss.
One stroke back of him is India’s Anirban Lahiri, not only the 39th-ranked player in the world but the first man from his country to ever play in the President’s Cup.
Korea’s YE Yang is also at six under and just behind him at five under par is Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell, who gives the leaderboard three major champions; both he and Rose have won the US Open while Yang won the PGA Championship.
WATCH: Who is Matt Fitzpatrick?
American Patrick Reed, currently 20th in the world, looks poised to challenge as well, six shots back of the leader. But the most intriguing player and the freshest by far is this year's breakout star, 21-year-old Englishman Matthew Fitzpatrick.
Two weeks ago the Sheffield native went wire to wire to capture his maiden victory over a stellar field at the British Masters. After a week off, the Hong Kong Open is his first event as a tournament champion and after shooting a second round 67 he finds himself three shots back of fellow Englishman Rose.
READ MORE > All our Hong Kong Open coverage here
It’s also his first trip to Hong Kong as a professional and he looks to make it a memorable one. He claims he hasn’t had a chance for the events of the last few weeks to register yet.
I was five days at home before coming here and it didn’t really sink in at all
“I was five days at home before coming here and it didn’t really sink in at all,” he said. “So I think at the end of the year I can sit back and realise where I am at really.”
And what sort of reception has he received now that he is a tournament champion? “It’s nice, it’s been great,” he said. “A lot of people have come up and said well done which is a nice feeling.”
READ MORE > Day 2 Recap
He laughs when asked if organisers are laying out extra perks for him now. “No, they have been treating all of us well.”
Not surprisingly, he is now being routinely dubbed the next Rory McIlroy. Follow him around for a bit and you can see why. His frame is similar to the four-time major winner and former world number one and so is his swing. Butter smooth and explosive, everything is in symphony with his lithe, youthful balance.
And of course, throw in the Irish surname and its little wonder the McIlroy comparisons are rife. “I don’t think you can ever get tired of that,” he says. “Absolutely flattering. If I have a career as good as him it would be fantastic. He was world number one for a long time for good reason. He’s a great guy as well.”
There is also a somewhat foreboding element to the McIlroy comparisons as well. A youthful McIlroy was a staple around Fanling and arguably made the greatest shot in the history of the tournament when he holed out from a bunker on the 18th hole to win the 2011 tournament.
At the time, McIlroy was in the last year of a sweetheart three-year US$600,000 deal the tournament had procured before he became the world’s number one. The following year McIlroy was brought back for an appearance fee of US$1 million and bombed out spectacularly by missing the cut after completely butchering his last hole. Less than 24 hours later his then girlfriend, tennis star Caroline Wozniacki, posted pictures of the couple lounging poolside in Dubai, much to the chagrin of tournament organisers.
These days McIlroy’s fee is reported to be in excess of US$2 million and he recently said he could imagine in the not too distant future playing solely on the US PGA tour and dropping Europe.
Then again, that is the price of success and McIlroy has most certainly earned the choices he makes. No one is intimating that Fitzpatrick’s career will follow a similar arc. But the talent is most definitely there and the reality is that the European Tour stretches globally now, well beyond the continent and makes for some gruelling travel.
The financial rewards are also far greater in the US so it only makes sense that the top players will migrate stateside. When asked about his immediate future, Fitzpatrick was blunt.
“I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself,” he said.
But, for now at least, Fitzpatrick is here and he is most certainly in contention. This could well be the best opportunity to catch one of the games young stars in Hong Kong because there is no time like now. Just ask Dustin Johnson.
