Matt Fitzpatrick admits he's open to shock career change despite winning US Open

Former US Open champion and Ryder Cup hopeful Matt Fitzpatrick has declared that he'd love to work within football. The 30-year-old admits that some people think he is joking when he reveals he prefers the sport over golf.

Sheffield-born Fitzpatrick turned professional in 2014, making his Ryder Cup debut in 2016 but failing to claim a title on the PGA Tour for some time. His breakthrough came in 2022 and was worth the wait as Fitzpatrick's first win was a major one.

The Englishman prevailed by one stroke at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts, to win the US Open, and followed this first success up in 2023 by winning the RBC Heritage. His form has followed an upward curve in recent months after a dip, bolstering his chances of making Luke Donald's dozen that will take on Team USA in September, but golf isn't even Fitzpatrick's true obsession.

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"People think it's a joke, but I love football way more than golf," Fitzpatrick told the BBCwith a smile on his face. "I'm obsessed with football. It's brilliant for me.

"I love supporting Sheffield United. Over here in the States, they show every game I could wish to see, which is amazing," continued the 30-year-old, who is currently based in Florida.

"How they use data, how culture is so important. Just fascinating. Finding little things that maybe we could take into golf - I feel like we've taken a lot from it."

Fitzpatrick's love for football even led him to declare he'd like to work within the game in some capacity later in his career, despite banking over £22million from golf, though he knows this remains unlikely.

"I don't know when I'll ever get time to do this, but I'd love to work in football if the opportunity ever arose in some way, shape, or form," Fitzpatrick added. "That's extremely wishful thinking, but I just find football so interesting to be part of. I love reading about it and everything about it."

At the moment, however, it is not a career in football on Fitzpatrick's mind, but rather the 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black in September. He has featured in the competition three times, in 2016, 2021 and 2023, but currently sits some way out of the six automatic Team Europe qualification spots.

"It is nice to play well at the crunch time; the play-offs and the Ryder Cup," continued the Englishman, hopeful that he can be one of Donald's six captain's picks. "To be part of that would be very special again.

"I still want to be part of it to give myself a chance to improve on it. In the last 15 months there's been an extra effort to try and be a little bit more forgiving to myself and understanding my own psychology really.

"My biggest thing I would take away from the slump is catching things earlier. I can't afford to get to that stage again. It was a tough time for me and the problem was it went on for so long.

"You can't afford to be behind the eight ball and you need to catch those things as early as you can, and turn them round as quickly as you can."