Matt Fitzpatrick will collect a check, but really, Alex Fitzpatrick will emerge from this week’s Zurich Classic as a winner.
You only had to look at the 18th green Sunday night at the Zurich Classic to know it was true. It was there, on the 18th, that Fitzpatrick Brothers emerged victorious after a glorious mid-sand shot by older brother (and US Open champion) Matt. And right there, on the 18th, Alex realized the fulfillment of his biggest dream of life.
“Yeah, I’m still at a loss for words,” Alex Fitzpatrick said afterwards, still upset. “Just an overwhelming feeling of happiness. Like Matt said, at the beginning of the week he was going to come here to be a family and spend time with each other and eat Mr. B and have a great week. To be here now and do what we did, yeah, I’m pretty speechless.”
If you want to know why Alex Fitzpatrick was speechless, the trophy celebration did not provide all of them answers. You see, his victory was bigger than just a title in a PGA Tour event and bigger than a winner’s check. Winning in Zurich, the younger Fitzpatrick also gathered a number of career-changing benefits, which we list in full below.
What Alex Fitzpatrick really won at the Zurich Classic
1. A PGA Tour card
The biggest and most significant benefit of Alex Fitzpatrick’s victory is PGA Tour Status. By virtue of a winner’s exception, Alex earned full PGA Tour status until the end of 2028, giving him the rarest gift in golf – job security – for the next 18 months.
2. An invitation to the PGA Championship
Hopefully Alex didn’t plan his spring break for the second week of May, because those plans went up in flames when his last shot hit the bottom of the cup. Fitzpatrick earned an invitation to the PGA Championship at Aronimink with his victory, giving him his second career major championship start, trailing only the 2023 Open.
3. An invitation to the Players Championship
Thanks to his victory on Sunday, Fitzpatrick will also play in the PGA Tour’s main event next March at TPC Sawgrass.
4. Signature Event!
If you’re a player with $3 million in career earnings and hoping to multiply your bank account, the $20 million Tour Signature Event series is a pretty good place to start. Fitzpatrick will have the opportunity to do just that over the next few months thanks to the Signature Event invitations he received Sunday night. Fitzpatrick will spend the rest of 2026 getting ready at some of the most lucrative events in golf, including the Cadillac Championship, the Truist Championship, the Memorial Tour and the Travelers Championship.
5. $1,375,000
Fitzpatrick’s victory was not only for the money, but it was one LESS about money. He had earned $3 million in his professional career before Sunday’s victory, and he won nearly half of that total Sunday night, adding $1.375 million to his career earnings with the win.
