Matthew Fitzpatrick earns return trip to Masters

The first two times Matthew Fitzpatrick qualified for the Masters Tournament, he didn’t realize he was in the field.

He knew it Sunday.

The 21-year-old Englishman tied for the low round of the day with 5-under-par 67 on Sunday to soar up the leaderboard and easily finish inside the top 12, which earns players invitations to the 2017 Masters.

Fitzpatrick started the final round in a tie for 23rd place after rounds of 71-76-74. After making six birdies, including four in the final five holes Sunday, he ended up tied for seventh place.

“I can’t wait,” he said about returning. “I won’t say it’s been playing on my mind all week but I knew it’s the case in the background.”

Previously, Fitzpatrick qualified for the 2014 Masters by virtue of winning the 2013 U.S. Amateur. He earned a spot this year by being in the top 50 in the world ranking at the end of 2015, thanks to his victory in the European Tour’s British Masters. He said he didn’t know either accomplishment would get him in the Masters, but he knew the top 12 finishers each year at Augusta National earn return tickets.

This was Fitzpatrick’s fourth major championship appearance and his best finish.

“I think for me it’s just a momentum boost for the rest of the season,” he said Sunday. “It’s the first major of the season and it’s pretty much the start of the season for everyone. It will be good going forward.”

It took a while, but Fitzpatrick finally figured out the Augusta National greens. He struggled so much in the first two rounds, with putting days of 33 and 36 putts, that he had one more putt for 36 holes than Ernie Els, who had 39 putts in the first round, including a six-putt on No. 1 in the first round.

Fitzpatrick, who made the cut by two shots, improved to 31 putts in the third round. He had 28 in the final round, capping his day with an 11-footer for birdie on the final hole.

In addition to Fitzpatrick, the other players outside the top 12 after 54 holes who moved into the top 12 were Paul Casey, J.B. Holmes and Justin Rose. Casey was tied for 16th place after 54 holes, while Holmes and Rose were tied for 13th.