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Fans couldn't contain their outrage after the BBC passed over English golfer Matt Fitzpatrick for the 2022 SPOTY award.
The Englishman won the US Open earlier this year, defeating Masters Champion Scottie Scheffler and Will Zalatoris to claim his first major title. Golf fans were perplexed when Matt didn't show up at Wednesday's award ceremony in Salford.
He had a one-shot victory at the Country Club in Brookline, where he won the US Amateur championship in 2013. With this victory, Matt Fitzpatrick tied Jack Nicklaus by winning the US Open and US Amateur at the same venue.
The Sheffield star deserved to share the stage with English sports stars such as Beth Mead, Ben Stokes, and Ronnie O'Sullivan, who had been nominated for the Sports Personality of the Year (SPOTY) award.
Despite his achievement, the golfer was neglected by his country, and fans took to Twitter to express their anger.
A Twitter user wrote:
"So golf gets a whole 30 seconds on SPOTY, which includes an English major winner. Spot the sport the BBC don't cover, what a load of tosh this programme has become."
Another joined the thread and said:
"Such a shame Golf doesn't get the recognition it deserves yet again."
Hundreds of disappointed golf fans took to social media to highlight the sport's popularity in the United Kingdom. They shared statistics to seek justice for their favorite golfer, who had won a major championship in the American-dominated sport.
It is worth noting that Sir Nick Faldo was the last golfer to be honored with a SPOTY award in 1989.
Matt Fitzpatrick rejects invitation call from BBC SPOTY organizers
Fitzpatrick has been very assured in his play. Unsurprisingly, when he drew little attention from officials, he politely declined their call.
According to The Telegraph, Matt Fitzpatrick turned down their invitation to the program even before the shortlist was announced.
His absence from the event saddened fans. They proceeded to express their righteous indignation on social media, with one writing:
"Golf is one of the fastest-growing sports in the UK, with players increasing from 3.6 million to 5.7 million since 2016. Matt Fitz became our first major winner this year in 6 years, yet the BBC doesn't think he deserves a nomination for SPOTY. What a joke."
Another jotted:
"An English US Open Golf Champion not even on the shortlist for SPOTY. Does anyone still actually watch that s***."
They were not happy with the BBC ignoring the golfers. An account by the name of Mike Harris commented on Twitter:
"The BBC plainly despises golf. We should ask why. Simple. Golf is still seen as the elitist white man's game. We're making progress to be more inclusive, but there's much still to do. Keep making progress, golf grows & eventually, it'll be less hated by the likes of the BBC. "
Lee Patridge said:
"Surprised Matt Fitzpatrick isn't in the running considering he's only the 4th English winner of any Golf Major Championship in the last 50 years & only the 4th US Open winner in the last 100 years."
Matt Fitzpatrick turned professional in 2014 and has since won eight professional tournaments and reached number eight in the world rankings.
