Was Matt Fitzpatrick deserving of the SPOTY snub? A look at the golfer’s year

The English golfer, Matt Fitzpatrick, has been in the headlines because of his absence from the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award ceremony. He won the US Open earlier this year and was the most deserving athlete for the nomination. However, he was neglected by BBC officials.

Matt Fitzpatrick won the US Open at Country Club for the first time, defeating American superstars Will Zalatoris and Scottie Scheffler. Although it was his only win on the PGA Tour, Fitzpatrick recorded nine top-10 finishes this year. With all of his accomplishments, the Sheffield star rose to ninth in the Official World Golf Rankings. However, it was enough for him to earn a nomination for BBC SPOTY 2022.

For the uninitiated, the BBC SPOTY is as important for UK athletes as the Grammys are for singers or the Oscars are for actors.

This year's ceremony was organized on December 21 in Salford, hosted by Clare Balding, Gabby Logan, Alex Scott, and Gary Linekar.

Six nominations were announced on December 20, not including the name of the 26-year-old golfer Matt Fitzpatrick, who brought a major tournament trophy to his country after six years.

The nomination included the names of football star Beth Mead, cricketer Ben Stokes, Eve Muirhead, Jessica Gadirova, Ronnie O'Sullivan, and Jake Wightman. Leaving all behind, Beth Mead clinched the trophy of the BBC SPOTY 2022 and became the first female footballer to win the award.

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2022 BBC award winners

• Young Sports Personality of the year: Jessica Gadirova
• Lifetime Achievement Award: Usain Bolt
• Unsung Hero Award: Mike Alden
• Helen Rollason Award: Rob Burrow
• Special Award: Kevin Sinfield
• World Sport Star Award: Lionel Messi
• Team of the year: England women's national football team
• Coach of the year: Sarina Wiegman

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"What about Matt Fitzpatrick and his US Open Golf win this year?" Justin Rose supports the 2022 US Open winner

Matt Fitzpatrick turned professional in 2014 and has made much progress. He played on the Challenge Tour before joining the European and PGA Tours.

Having won eight European Tours, Matt Fitzpatrick has a good record in the major tournaments. He finished T7 at the 2016 Masters, T5 at the 2015 PGA Championship, and T20 at the 2019 Open Championship before winning the US Open in 2022.

For his successful amateur career, Matt was awarded the Mark H. McCormack Medal in 2013.

2022 has been in his favor, and fans believe he deserves a nomination for the SPOTY award. His absence from the ceremony drew the ire of dozens of sports enthusiasts and athletes.

The English golfer Justin Rose also tweeted about the unsatisfying decision of the officials. He wrote:

"One question BBC Sport and BBC SPOTY, what about Matt Fitzpatrick and his US Open Golf win this year?"

British golfer Tommy Fleetwood also agreed with Justin and added:

"Regardless of how BBC Sport sees it, Matt has had an unbelievable year. He knows it, we know it."

Georgia Hall was "just speechless" after the nominations were announced, while Ian Poulter wrote a long post, saying:

"Sorry but complete disregard for Matt Fitzpatrick makes this event a continued farce and joke."

It is important to note that ahead of the ceremony, Matt received a call from the officials who invited him to the award function. He politely declined the offer, as reported by The Telegraph.