Matt Fitzpatrick
has been enjoying one of the best seasons of his career across the PGA and DP World Tours. But while his performances have been grabbing headlines, a much more unusual mystery has been unfolding off the course.
For more than a year, Fitzpatrick has been receiving text messages from a mystery fan after his wins. The strange part? He had no idea who was behind them. What started as a series of unexpected messages eventually became one of the funniest mysteries in golf this week.
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Fitzpatrick finally addressed the bizarre situation at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, shedding some light on the mystery that had been following him for more than a year. "I don't really get why this is so funny. Everyone thought it was hilarious. Yeah, the guy — I wasn't getting annoyed at all. I actually just thought it was just a member of my club who was texting me, and then I replied once he asked me," he said
. "He was basically just like, would never answer. I thought it was some random guy that wasn't very good on his mobile phone, basically. Yeah, I guess that's what it is. But God knows how he got that number."
The saga began on September 28, 2025, shortly after Europe won the Ryder Cup. A fan named Tom Egbers texted Matt Fitzpatrick to congratulate him on the victory. Fitzpatrick had recently changed his phone, so he politely replied that he didn't have the number saved.
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But the messages didn't stop there. Egbers texted Fitzpatrick again after his victory at the RBC Heritage, but Fitzpatrick still had no idea who was behind the number and asked the sender to identify himself.
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The mystery continued after the Zurich Classic, which Fitzpatrick won alongside his brother Alex. Egbers sent another message following the victory, and the same thing happened again. He also reached out after Fitzpatrick's three-shot win at the FedEx Open de France at Le Golf National, the Englishman's fourth victory of the 2026 season.
Each time, Fitzpatrick thanked him for the congratulations—but was left with the same unanswered question: Who exactly was texting him?
Egbers eventually shared the entire story on X, revealing that he had been messaging Fitzpatrick after each of his victories, despite the golfer having no idea who he was. He even posted screenshots of their exchanges, which quickly caught the attention of golf fans.
The messages became an amusing running mystery, with Fitzpatrick repeatedly receiving congratulations from the same unknown number while never quite managing to figure out who was behind it.
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Things got even stranger on June 18, when Egbers posted a photo of Fitzpatrick on a golf course. Egbers took the photo from behind but noticed that Fitzpatrick had missed a loop on his belt. He then sent Alex Fitzpatrick a direct message pointing it out. The post has since received over 4.2 million views.
By this point, it was clear that Egbers was more than just a fan sending the occasional congratulatory message. He was closely following Fitzpatrick's results and even picked up on minor details in photos of the golfer. That only deepened the mystery, leaving fans wondering how Egbers had managed to get Matt Fitzpatrick's phone number.
By the time Fitzpatrick arrived at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship at St. Andrews on September 30, the mystery had already gained plenty of attention online. During his pre-tournament press conference, reporters finally asked Fitzpatrick about the messages while he sat alongside his brother, Alex Fitzpatrick.
Fitzpatrick admitted that he didn't quite understand why everyone found the situation so funny. He explained that he had simply assumed the person texting him was a member of his golf club. Fitzpatrick also thought the man wasn't particularly good with his phone, which he believed explained why he had never properly introduced himself.
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As a result, Fitzpatrick never thought much of the messages and would only reply when the mystery texter asked him a question.
The relaxed response showed the situation did not bother Fitzpatrick. For him, it seemed to be a simple misunderstanding that somehow became a viral golf story.
There was another amusing detail that added to the confusion. Egbers shares his name with a well-known Dutch sports journalist and television presenter, leading to some confusion over his identity. However, the two men are not the same person, and Egbers himself took to X to clarify the mix-up.
Fans quickly joined in on the joke as the story continued to unfold. One fan called the situation "the best thing," while the Irish on Tour account noticed that Egbers had actually missed Fitzpatrick's DP World Tour Championship victory last year.
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Egbers gave a simple explanation for the omission: he had forgotten to send a message because of the time difference.
For Fitzpatrick, who is enjoying a strong 2026 season and competing at St. Andrews this week, the strange text exchange has become an unexpected side story. His golf has given fans plenty to talk about this year, but this time, the attention came from his phone, and there is still one question left unanswered: how did Egbers get Fitzpatrick's number in the first place? For now, even Matt does not seem to know.
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The post 'God Knows How He Got That Number': Matt Fitzpatrick Breaks Silence on Mystery Texts That Left Golf World Baffled
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