AVONDALE, La. — It was a fantastic finish for the Fitzpatrick family — a mother and father beaming along the 18th green at the TPC Louisiana as their sons celebrated a PGA Tour triumph together.
Matt Fitzpatrick and younger brother Alex combined for a 1-under 71 in alternate-shot play Sunday to pull out a dramatic, single-stroke victory in the Zurich Classic team event and usher the younger Fitzpatrick onto the PGA Tour.
“To win a team event on the PGA Tour with my brother — I don't know if it does gets better than that," said 31-year-old Matt Fitzpatrick, who won the U.S. Open in 2022. “That's how special it feels. To get in over the line the way we did and to hang in there on the back nine is incredible.”
The Englishmen finished with a tournament-record 31-under 257 total, but only after losing a four-stroke lead on the back nine.
They recovered when Matt Fitzpatrick, the third-ranked player in the world, stuck a bunker shot on the par-5 18th a foot from the hole. Alex Fitzpatrick, a 27-year-old European tour regular, smiled and put his hand on his head as he went to mark the ball, knowing that all he had to do to earn a two-year exemption on PGA Tour was sink a virtual gimme.
As his putt dropped, he crouched and put one hand over his face, and then rose to embrace his approaching older brother.
“I couldn’t feel my hands. I couldn’t feel my legs. I couldn’t feel anything,” Alex Fitzpatrick said. “It’s a pretty life-changing thing.”
Watching from the clubhouse tied at 30 under with the teams of Americans Alex Smalley and Hayden Springer and Norwegians Kristoffer Reitan and Kris Ventura. All four players' bids for a first PGA Tour victory had come up just short.
Matt Fitzpatrick arrived as arguably the hottest player in golf with two wins this spring, including last weekend at Harbour Town.
A.J. Ewart of Vancouver and South African Casey Jarvis finished in a four-way tie for 20th at 23 under. Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., and Adam Svensson of Surrey, B.C., finished in a four-way tie for 26th at 21 under. And Sudarshan Yellamaraju of Mississauga, Ont., and American Ryan Gerard finished 34th at 17 under.
