Matt and Alex Fitzpatrick recovered from a final round wobble to make PGA TOUR history by becoming the first brothers to win the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.
The English pair entered the final round at TPC Louisiana with a commanding four-shot advantage after a tournament record 57 in the third round and looked to be sailing towards the title following a steady front nine display. However, they began to stumble on the back nine which began with a double-bogey at the 12th quickly followed by a bogey at the 14th.
Then came pressure from Norwegian duo Kristoffer Reitan and Kris Ventura and American pair Alex Smalley and Hayden Springer. Reitan and Ventura’s eagles at the 8th and 11th saw them slice the Fitzpatrick’s lead while Smalley and Springer also found themselves on the coattails of the lead after a birdie at the 13th.
Yet another eagle from Reitan and Ventura at the last helped the Norwegians set the clubhouse target of 30 under, a score which was matched by Smalley and Springer.
The Fitzpatricks came into the 18th with a share of the lead alongside the two pairings meaning they required a birdie to win outright and the duo showed their class as Matt hit a sublime chip out from the bunker shot to leave younger brother Alex with a simple tap-in which he rolled in the to seal a euphoric triumph.
“It was a struggle,” world No. 3 Matt said speaking to Sky Sports’ Rich Beem. “I was doing absolute (sic) zero to help him apart from the putt I made on 15. I wasn’t providing much support but he (Alex) was fantastic on the back nine, just as he was yesterday as well.
“We just wanted to have a chance on the last, and to hit a bunker shot like that to give him an easy tap-in there.”
Alex added: “It won’t sink in yet. It’s amazing to be here with him, my mum and dad. It’s a lot of hard work and I can’t believe we’ve done it. It’s as good as it gets.
For Matt, victory means his red hot form on the circuit continues with recent victories at the Valspar Championship and last weekend’s RBC Heritage as well as narrowly losing out at THE PLAYERS. It also means he becomes the first Englishman to win three or more PGA TOUR events in a single season as he rises to the summit of the FedExCup standings.
For Alex, who has also recently tasted success following his triumph at the DP World Tour’s Hero Indian Open in late March, the win means he has earned a two-year exemption on the circuit through 2028 and gives him entry to the remaining Signature Events on the schedule this year as well as a place at the 2027 PGA Championship and PLAYERS Championship.
What is the next event?
The next event on the PGA TOUR schedule is the Cadillac Championship taking place between April 30-May 3 at Trump National Doral in Florida.