FITZPATRICK, ROSE, DONALD TO PLAY IN VALSPAR CHAMPIONSHIP
For Immediate Release: March 8, 2023
For Immediate Release: March 8, 2023
The British are coming!
Matt Fitzpatrick, Justin Rose and Luke Donald – three of Great Britain’s top professional golfers have committed to next week’s Valspar Championship.
Fitzpatrick is the defending U.S. Open champion, having won last year at The Country Club near Boston. He is currently ranked #12 in the Official World Golf Ranking. Along with Justin Thomas (PGA Championship), the Valspar now has two defending Major Champions in its field. Fitzpatrick, 28, also owns seven wins on the DP World Tour and won the 2013 U.S. Amateur while a student at Northwestern. Fitzpatrick tied for 5th at the 2022 Valspar Championship.
Rose is also a U.S. Open champion (2013 at Winged Foot) in a distinguished career that includes the gold medal at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janiero and the 2018 FedExCup title. Rose has been in good form lately, winning his 11th PGA TOUR title at the AT&T Pebble Beach in February. It will be the 12th appearance on the Copperhead for Rose, who owns top five finishes in the Valspar Championship in 2011 and 2018. He has been a member of five European Ryder Cup teams and is currently #37 in the OWGR.
Donald, the captain of the 2023 European Ryder Cup team which is likely to include both Fitzpatrick and Rose, has been an outstanding performer at the Valspar including winning the title in 2012. That victory propelled him to the top spot in the Official World Golf Ranking. Last year, he posted his 6th top-20 finish at the Valspar (one off the tournament record). Donald, who also went to Northwestern like Fitzpatrick, has 17 professional wins and has appeared in four Ryder Cups.
With the inclusion of Fitzpatrick, the Valspar Championship now has four members of the OWGR top 15 in its field (also #9 Justin Thomas, #12 Fitzpatrick, #14 Sam Burns, #15 Jordan Spieth).
Two other members of the OWGR top 50 are recent commits – #20 Keegan Bradley and #45 Kevin Kisner. The Valspar now has 10 players committed from the OWGR top 50 (also #26 Tommy Fleetwood, #27 Brian Harman, #41 K.H. Lee).
Bradley’s 5 PGA TOUR victories include the 2022 Zozo Championship and the 2011 PGA Championship. He was the 2021 runner-up of the Valspar Championship.
Kisner has won 4 PGA TOUR titles, including the 2019 WGC-Match Play Championship (also twice a Match Play runner-up). He was a member of the 2022 US Presidents Cup team.