Matt Fitzpatrick Dishes On St. Andrews, The Setup For The Open: 'I'm Not Really A Fan'

Every golfer on the planet is supposed to love everything about St. Andrews, after all, it is the home of golf. If you don't happen to be a fan of The Old Course, rule No. 1 is to keep that opinion to yourself because you're bound to get crucified for saying something negative about the place.

Matt Fitzpatrick doesn't care for that rule. The U.S. Open champion did not hold back with his criticisms of St. Andrews and how the course has been set up for this week's Open.

“I’ll be honest, I’m not really a fan,” Fitzpatrick told reporters on Saturday.

“I’ve heard it on commentary all week. You can hit good shots and get bad bounces. And you can hit bad shots and get good bounces. I felt, for the first seven holes, I didn’t really miss a shot. I’m walking off 7th green and I’m plus-1. It’s tough to take. It’s tough to stay patient.”

The Englishman sharing this opinion is a surprise in itself, but his comments coming after a 3-under 69 in the third round makes his take even more head-scratching. Fitzpatrick shot a 6-under 66 on Friday as well to comfortably make the cut.

The 27-year-old didn't stop there, either. Fitzpatrick also took a jab at the R&A for some of the pin placements over the first three days of The Open.

“I said earlier in the week that it’s not my favorite golf course to play,” Fitzpatrick said. “But I think, obviously, with how firm it is, they obviously exaggerate some of the slopes and stuff as well. You see where the pins are this week. A lot of them are incredibly tucked, just to try and protect it as much as possible.”

You have to respect Fitzpatrick's honesty here, even if you disagree with his opinion.

It would have been easier for him to keep his frustrations to himself, but instead, he was willing to tell the press how he truly felt about the most iconic golf course on the planet.

Fitzpatrick began the final round on Sunday seven shots back of co-leaders Rory McIlroy and Viktor Hovland.