​After posting three victories before May 1, most players would have been content with every aspect of their game. Not Matt Fitzpatrick.Never one to stop searching for an edge, Fitzpatrick made a slight adjustment to his driver setup midway through the 2026 season, despite already owning wins at the Valspar Championship, RBC Heritage and, alongside brother Alex, the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.This week at the DP World Tour’s FedEx Open de France, however, Fitzpatrick returned to the driver setup that fueled his early-season success. The change appears to be paying dividends.More: Matt Fitzpatrick’s quiet rise is getting harder to ignoreThe Englishman carded five birdies and an eagle Friday at Le Golf National in Guyancourt, just outside Paris, vaulting into the tournament lead and continuing the strong form that made him one of the PGA Tour’s most dominant players during the first half of the year.”Doing a little bit more work on the driver,” Fitzpatrick explained after a 64 pushed him to 13 under for the tournament, one shot ahead of Jeff Gunther. “I sort of went back to the old setup and my driver at the start of the year. I took a few issues in the middle of the year. Top off putting a little bit, I guess, and yeah, just feel a bit more comfortable with that, and then just being able to sort of play with my normal game with the rest, really.”🚨 NEW LEADER 🚨Matt Fitzpatrick moves the benchmark to -13 with this birdie on 16!#FedExOpenDeFrancepic.twitter.com/oMzcN9tGvy— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) September 25, 2026Fitzpatrick dropped a long birdie putt on No. 16, although it appeared he was about to give that shot back on No. 18 when he slipped a bit on his approach. He saved par, however, and finished 7 under for the day.”I was kind of happy to go for it,” he said of the approach on 18. “Took the extra club just to make sure, and then, as I took my backswing, I thought my right foot slipped, so I kind of obviously then in search for the ball, I’ve kind of thrown my right arm and managed to sort of make contact. It’s just gone a long way and a long way left.”Matt Fitzpatrick’s PGA Tour career by seasonSeasonPGA Tour EarningsTop-10 Finishes2015-16$41,93402016-17$176,18102017-18$180,19002018-19$1,091,79922019-20$2,109,70942020-21$2,035,04422021-22$2,986,636102022-23$7,369,65162024$3,442,57032025$2,467,15852026$14,679,8178Total$36,580,68940Tim Schmitt is Golfweek’s managing editor.This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Matt Fitzpatrick returns to old driver setup in France, surges into lead