Stephen Lew-Imagn Images
The Zurich Classic is one of the more unique events on the PGA Tour calendar, as golfers have had the chance to pair up with a partner of their choice since the team format was adopted in 2017. This year, Matt Fitzpatrick decided to join forces with his brother Alex, and the latter earned the right to play on golf’s premier circuit for the next two years after his sibling rose to the occasion on the final hole of the tournament.
Matt Fitzpatrick earned his PGA Tour card in 2020, and he got his first win and first major victory a couple of years later when he topped the field at the U.S. Open at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts in 2022.
The 31-year-old Englishman headed into the current season with just one additional victory under his belt, but he’s been on a bit of a tear since finishing in second place at The Players Championship in March. He followed that up with a win at the Valspar Championship the following week, and he earned the right to don the plaid jacket at the RBC Heritage for the second time in the wake of a tie for 18th at The Masters.
His younger brother Alex has also been doing pretty well for himself on the DP World Tour, but he was treated to quite an upgrade after they teamed up for what ended up being a record-setting performance at the Zurich Classic.
Alex Fitzpatrick earned his PGA Tour card after his brother Matt set him up for a short putt with the perfect shot on the 18th hole
The Fitzpatrick family is not hurting for talent, as Matt’s younger brother Alex was a member of the golf team at Wake Forest and has spent the past few years grinding on the DP World Tour. He’d competed in 10 PGA Tour events heading into this year’s Zurich Classic (he outdid Matt when he finished in a tie for 17th at The British Open in 2023), but he’d never really come close to winning one.
2026 marked the fourth year the siblings paired up at the team event at TPC Louisiana. They finished in a tie for 19th in 2023 and improved to a tie for 11th the following year, but they headed to New Orleans last week hoping to bounce back after missing the cut in 2025.
Momentum was on their side, as Alex got his first DP World Tour victory at the Hero Indian Open at the end of March.
The duo kicked things off with a 64 in fourball play on Thursday before surging toward the top of the leaderboard with a 65 in alternate shot play on Friday, and they headed into Sunday with a four-shot lead after setting a course record with a 57 in the second and final fourball round.
However, things fell apart a bit when the format switched back to alternate shot, and the Fitzpatricks were facing a potential playoff as one of three teams sitting at -30 when they stepped up to the 18th hole. Matt set Alex up with a 322-yard drive, but the latter deposited the second shot into a bunker in front of the green.
Matt stepped into the sand knowing his 27-year-old brother would earn a two-year exemption to PGA Tour events if they were able to walk away with the victory, and he delivered with a shot that landed around a foot away from the cup before Alex tapped in it for birdie, which helped them set the tournament record at -31.
GOLF SHOT!
Matt Fitzpatrick plays it beautifully to set up for birdie and the win @Zurich_Classic. pic.twitter.com/FAnaC08xEE
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) April 26, 2026
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