Matt Fitzpatrick and his younger brother Alex overcame a nerve-wracking back nine to score a historic victory at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, earning the latter a two-year exemption from the PGA Tour.
Fitzpatricks became the first brother to win on the PGA Tour when he birdied his 18th to take a one-shot victory in dramatic fashion, Matt’s third win of 2026.
The world No. 3 has had a stellar few months, narrowly finishing in the Players Championship playoffs, before winning the Valspar and RBC Heritage and finishing in the top 20 at the Masters.
Matt Fitzpatrick’s latest success means he has become the first Briton to win more than three times in a year on the PGA Tour and tops the 2026 FedExCup standings.
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In the Audi Performance Zone, we take a look at the swings of Alex and Matt Fitzpatrick.
Alex Fitzpatrick is also in good form, having won his first DP World Tour title at the Hero Indian Open in March.
The 27-year-old will immediately receive a two-year exemption from the PGA Tour until 2028 following his and his brother’s win at the Zurich Classic, and will also be eligible to play in the next four signature events – the 2026 PGA Championship and the 2027 Players Championship.
“It’s not going to sink yet. It’s as good as it gets,” Alex Fitzpatrick said. sky sports‘ Rich Beam. “It’s just amazing to be here with him (Matt), mom and dad. It’s been a lot of hard work. I can’t believe we did it.”
In fact, the siblings stumbled a bit at the finish line on Sunday. After posting a tournament-record four-ball score of 57 the previous day, they appeared to be cruising to victory at 3 under par through the first 11 holes of their final foursome. – Made a double bogey on the 12th hole.
Another bogey followed on the 14th hole, and Matt Fitzpatrick’s decisive par putt on the 15th hole stopped the rot somewhat.
Alex Smalley and Hayden Springer of the United States and Kristoffer Reitan and Kris Ventura of Norway set a clubhouse goal of 30 under par, and Fitzpatricks needed a birdie on the 18th hole to win.
Alex hit a poor second shot into the bunker, but Matt’s chip out was a stunning effort to about two feet to set up the win.
“It was a tough one,” Matt Fitzpatrick said. “I didn’t do anything at all to help him (Alex). I didn’t really provide much assistance except for the putt on number 15.
“He was fantastic on the back nine, just like he was yesterday.”
“I said, ‘Give me one last chance,’ and it was nice that they gave me an easy tap so I could hit a bunker shot.”
What are Zurich classes and their format?
The Zurich Classic is the only team event on the PGA Tour schedule where teams compete in a four-ball format over rounds one and three, with each golfer using his or her own ball and counting the lowest score on each hole.
The second and final round action uses a foursomes format where players take turns playing with only one ball. The total number of strokes is determined by the team’s score for each hole, and players alternate tee shots throughout the round.
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