Matt Fitzpatrick given BMW PGA break when 'two little thieves' steal his golf ball

Matt Fitzpatrick claimed “two little thieves” who stole his golf ball handed him a big break at the BMW PGA. The Ryder Cup star was just a shot off the lead when he found trees off the tee on the 18th hole just before a 90-minute weather delay.

But his caddie Dan Parratt insisted they immediately search for the errant shot - and were told by spectators that two boys had been seen to “scurry off” with the ball. After consulting the referee, the 2022 US Open champion did not play his provisional ball and took a penalty drop on his way to a bogey six and a six-under 66.

“When the siren went, Dan, my caddie said what happens if someone goes sniffing around in the bushes and finds your ball, and decides to pocket it.“

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"I thought that was a great point - I didn’t even think about it - because there had to be a good chance of that happening. So we called over a referee and explained the situation, and asked whether we should look for the ball then, rather than risk it being taken.

“He took us over to the crowd where we reckoned my ball would have landed, and a few people there said they’d seen two young boys dive into the bushes, and come out grinning with a golf ball. Obviously when you see two guys run in there and run after it and then scurry off, it is quite telling.

"So we decided the balance of probability was that it was my ball, and that I would take a drop in that spot when we got back.

“I made six, but if I’d had to play my provisional ball it could have been worse. So those two little thieves who made off with my ball probably saved me a shot. Although it would have been better if they had thrown it back on the fairway!”

Fitzpatrick’s opening round still continued his strong summer form which convinced Luke Donald to award him a Ryder Cup wildcard.

“Hopefully I am trending in right direction,” said the world No.29. “It certainly feels that way. My game has come along a lot over the last four or five months and I just want to continue that and be in the right shape for New York.”

Fitzpatrick’s playing partner and Ryder Cup team-mate Ludvig Aberg shared the clubhouse lead after his opening 64. He finished with three consecutive birdies.

The pairings this week offer clues to captain Luke Donald’s plans for the first two days at Bethpage Black.

And asked if he would like to play alongside the 2022 US Open champion, the Swede said: “Yeah, Matt, we get along great. He's a great guy. It's very easy to be around him, and we can chat about all sorts of things that are not even golf related, so that's always nice.

“Today was one of them days where we both played pretty well. Hopefully we can do that in New York in a couple weeks' time, too.”