Matt Fitzpatrick relishing chance at securing first major title

Matt Fitzpatrick is relishing the opportunity to win a first major title in the 104th US PGA Championship at Southern Hills.

A third round of 67 means Fitzpatrick trails leader Mito Pereira by three shots and will partner the PGA Tour rookie from Chile in the final group on Sunday.

Fitzpatrick has recorded just one top-10 finish in his previous 27 major starts, but has won seven times on the DP World Tour, most recently last year’s Andalucia Masters at Valderrama.

“I’m just looking forward to it,” the two-time Ryder Cup player said. “I’ve spoke about my major record at length with my coaches.

“I’ve always just said to them, ‘I just want to give myself a chance’, because I back myself at the end of the day. I feel like whenever I’ve had a chance in Europe, I’ve played very well.

“Even over here when I’ve had chances to win I’ve played well. I’ve not lost it. It’s a chance to win and I’m looking forward to it more than anything.”

Asked how he would spend his time ahead of a late start on Sunday, Fitzpatrick added: “I’m sharing a house with Thomas Pieters this week which has been fun. First time we’ve done that, so we’ve had a bit of a laugh this week.

“He’ll probably put the basketball on, so I’ll probably just sit and pretend to watch and be on my phone and do nothing.”