Qualifying for the Ryder Cup for the first time is never easy and the strain has been showing on Matt Fitzpatrick’s game recently.
A seventh place finish at the Masters and a win at the Nordea Masters pushed the 21-year-old from Sheffield firmly into contention to make Darren Clarke’s 12-man team.
At the moment, Fitzpatrick occupies the ninth and final automatic place for the European side but four missed cuts in his previous five events means he still has work to do to fend off the chasing pack, which includes Soren Kjeldsen, Lee Westwood and Martin Kaymer.
Fitzpatrick said: “I have been getting a lot of advice from people lately and the thing that comes out more and more is you have got to enjoy your golf.
“Finishing 49th last week at the US PGA was not the greatest finish of all time but it was the most I have enjoyed a tournament for a long time.
“I think I’m a workaholic. I don’t want to leave any stone unturned.
“But sometimes trying too hard holds you back.
“It can be difficult when you want to achieve something so much. It can almost get in the way and I think that has been the case.
“I just need to relax over the next three or four weeks.”
It may be difficult for Fitzpatrick to try to relax this afternoon when he starts the Aberdeen Asset Management Paul Lawrie Match Play with a tasty-looking first round match against Thomas Bjorn.
The Dane is one of European captain Darren Clarke’s vice-captains – and Fitzpatrick is keen to show the three-time Ryder Cup player what he can do in a match-play environment.
He said: “My caddie stole his golf balls on the range so we were laughing about that.
“It will be an interesting day against Thomas. I got pretty close with him in the last few weeks and got some advice on a few things.
“It will be good to play against him.”
Fitzpatrick feared he was going to be heading into today’s match with Bjorn without his clubs – after they were lost on his flight back from the competing in Baltusrol.
He added: “We thought we were flying back from Newark and then realised it was JFK.
“We managed to get in contact with Aer Lingus who got through to the captain who said they would get me through.
“I sent a tweet saying how good Aer Lingus were but then I got back home and had no clubs.
“But they finally arrived in Manchester on Wednesday morning and somebody was able to drive them up.”