Matt Fitzpatrick was given an emotional wake up call after a recent conversation with his former girlfriend Deniz Khazaniuk whose mother is Ukrainian, as they talked about her relatives that are fighting for their lives in the war-torn country.
The 2020 DP World Tour Championship winner who is currently playing in glorious weather at the Arnold Palmer Invitational said:
“She was telling me about her gran who had a couple of strokes recently and can hardly walk, so she can’t go anywhere. Then she told me about her uncle who had just packed his bags and was off to fight tomorrow.”
Valuing the important things in life
Having time to reflect on the severity of the situation in Ukraine and the millions of people left homeless and destitute, the two times Ryder Cup player has been able to see just how fortunate his life is and why he shouldn’t heap unnecessary pressure on himself.
“I was sitting here in Florida, and it hit me, the contrast between the fact her uncle might never come back and what I do.
Life is too short
“I’d already decided to be a little easier on myself this year and appreciate all that I have but that phone call just emphasised the whole thing. I don’t want to be miserable for the rest of my life worrying about winning golf tournaments.”
Currently ranked 25th in the world, Matt has certainly got the game to win Majors and with the Masters round the corner, who knows with his fresh outlook on life we might see another Sheffield born player slip on the green jacket.
