Matthew Fitzpatrick explains the reason he decided to start chipping cross-handed in tournaments

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If the dominance of Scottie Scheffler has taught the golfing world one thing, it is that there is definitely more than one way to get the ball around the course successfully, with the world number one’s footwork in the swing prompting plenty of debate.

Plenty of players have their individual techniques. You would struggle to find anyone who swings the golf club quite like Matthew Wolff for example, while Butch Harmon once said that Adam Swing was the only player he worked with who swung the club like Tiger Woods.

But it is interesting that so few players seem to chip the ball like Matthew Fitzpatrick. The 2022 US Open champion made a decision a few years ago to start chipping with his left hand lower than his right on the grip.

Of course, it is not uncommon to see players place their hands that way round when putting. And there are times when using a putting stroke can work quite nicely when chipping.

Matthew Fitzpatrick explains reason behind unconventional chipping technique

Nevertheless, Fitzpatrick seems to be quite unique at the highest level. And speaking to Golf Monthly, the 30-year-old explained the reason behind his decision to switch things up.

“It’s just consistency. I know what’s coming every time and that’s been the biggest thing for me. That’s the key thing in chipping, you need to know what’s coming each time you hit your chip, and then you can predict what the outcome’s going to be. So yeah it’s been really helpful,” he said.

“No [I wasn’t nervous to use it in competition], been doing it as a training drill for a long time. Obviously, to take it into competition, it took a few more reps beforehand. But yeah, I’m used to it now.”

How Fitzpatrick has fared around the greens on the PGA Tour in recent years

Fitzpatrick is one of the players who has seen his game drastically change over the years. He was not someone who could previously compete with the longest hitters on tour – and that was somewhat exposed in his first couple of appearances in the Ryder Cup.

However, he added plenty of distance. And he has had some success with his short game in recent years, even if his 2024 was not his best season.

Fitzpatrick was down in 97th on the PGA Tour for strokes gained around the greens in 2021. He went up to seventh in 2022 and only just fell out of the top 30 the following year.

As with most things in golf, it does not appear to work for everyone. But perhaps some would have some success trying something similar when they are around the greens.