MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Matt Fitzpatrick will happily trade a planned off-season break for a place in the FedExCup Playoffs. The young Englishman had scheduled a nice mini off-season for himself in the coming weeks, but after a 6-under 64 on Friday at the World Golf Championships – FedEx St. Jude Invitational, he might have to readjust. Fitzpatrick moved to 9 under for the tournament at the halfway stage, good enough for a two-shot lead over Patrick Cantlay, Jon Rahm, Cameron Smith and Billy Horschel. As a special temporary member on the PGA TOUR, the 24-year-old is not eligible for the FedExCup Playoffs unless he wins a regular season event. He’s just 36 holes away from that possibility. “I was looking forward to some time off. But if I were to make the Playoffs, then that would obviously be brilliant,â€� Fitzpatrick said. “The goal at the start of the season was to get my card and obviously I wrapped that up early, so anything extra is a bonus.â€� With 545 non-member FedExCup points already, Fitzpatrick will have PGA TOUR status next season. A huge chunk of those came with his runner-up finish at the Arnold Palmer Invitational Presented by Mastercard. With five European Tour wins already to his name, the former U.S. Amateur champion has serious pedigree. But he is still seen as an underdog in the elite field. It’s a tag he’s happy to run with. “I’m not on anyone’s radar every week, it’s great,â€� he said. “Obviously you want to get to that stage where you are on the radar and you’re doing press conferences every week, but at the same time, being where I am is not an issue. It’s a nice place to be.â€� If he continues the form through the weekend, those extra press conferences will be coming thick and fast.
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