BROOKLINE, Mass. -- On Sunday afternoon, PGA Tour golfer James Driscoll was in the gallery as Matt Fitzpatrick took control of his 36-hole match against Oliver Goss in the U.S. Amateur finals, winning 4 and 3 at the Country Club.

Now in his eighth full season on tour, the 35-year-old Brookline, Mass., native, who played high school golf matches at the Country Club, was back in town for a few days after missing the cut at the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, N.C.

Of all the perks to winning the U.S. Amateur, one that sticks out for England's Matt Fitzpatrick surely has to be that invitation to play in the 2014 Masters. Jim Rogash/Getty Images

On Monday, Driscoll will head to New Jersey for the Barclays, but for now, he was a very interested spectator, dressed casually in a T-shirt, shorts and unlaced sneakers.

Driscoll knew better than most on the grounds what these two young men were going through and what loomed ahead for them after the matches ended.

He played in five U.S. Amateurs, including the 2000 finals at Baltusrol, where he lost in 37 holes to Jeff Quinney. That runner-up showing earned him an invitation to the 2001 Masters Tournament, in which he missed the cut, but not before shooting a 68 in the first round.

"Getting into the Masters was a huge deal for me," said Driscoll, who was an All-American at Virginia.

After Driscoll beat him by 10 shots in the first round at Augusta, Tom Watson said, "That was the best round with an amateur that I've ever played here."

But Driscoll hasn't been back in the field at Augusta since that whirlwind week 12 years ago. This reality must deepen his appreciation for amateur golf and the opportunities that it gave him.

As talented as Fitzpatrick might be as a ball-striker and short-game magician, he faces a very uncertain future in the game.

In 2014, the 18-year-old Englishman will play in the Masters, the U.S. Open and the Open Championship and likely several other tour events through sponsor's exemptions. It will be the best and most demanding year of his life. But it could also be the only time he plays in these events, especially the Masters, which has the smallest field of the four majors.

After Colt Knost won the 2007 U.S. Amateur at the Olympic Club, most people thought he would retain his amateur status through the following year so that he could receive the invitations to the major championships. But he turned pro instead to jump-start his chances of getting a PGA Tour card.