Eight days ago, brothers Matt Fitzpatrick and Alex Fitzpatrick won Zurich Classic in New Orleansalthough big the winner was Alex, the younger brother of the 2022 US Open champion.
Since Zurich was a team event, both players on the winning team received valuable two-year PGA Tour memberships, not to mention spots in Signature Events. So while the Zurich win was a small step for Matt, now the No.4 player in the world, it was a significant moment for Alex, who was 141st entering the week.
Alex Fitzpatrick was in the midst of a fine season on the DP World Tour – after tying for sixth at the Joburg Open and winning the Hero Indian Open in March – but last week we saw him for the first time as a member of the PGA Tour, and in a Signature Event alongside the likes of Scottie Scheffler, Cameron Young and Collin Morikawa. And how did he fare in his 12th career PGA Tour start?
He tied for ninth place and won half a million dollars.
“There’s still a lot of expectations that I put on myself,” Alex said Friday Cadillac Championshipwhen asked if he plays more freely now that he has secured his Tour card. “It was unbelievable to win but then you come out here and you’re expected to compete and you expect to play well and you always want to try and perform every week. For me anything is a bonus at this stage which helps but I’m still a golfer at the end of the day and I’m sure I’m going to hit bad shots and still get upset.”
Alex, who at 27 is four years younger than his brother — who took last week off — shot 72-66-74-67 on Trump National Doral’s Blue Monster course. He finished at nine under, which was 10 behind the runaway winner Young but only four back of Scheffler, who was second alone. He also led the field in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee (+4.15) and driving accuracy, finishing 63rd in putting.
“I’m doing the right things with my golf game,” he said Friday. “I’m working on the right things. It’s exciting. I feel like my game has been good for a while now. I think for a few months it didn’t translate to the golf course like I would have liked, but it’s really taken a turn over the last couple of months. I feel in control of my ball, which is good.”
Last Sunday, after winning Zurich, Alex Fitzpatrick said he had a flight to Turkey for the DP World Tour’s Turkish Airlines Open. He didn’t catch it because he didn’t need it anymore. Mikael Lindberg won that tournament on Sunday, earning $466,437. Fitzpatrick took home $500,000 for his T9. And that’s after winning $1.372 million in New Orleans.
He’s also finally getting over all the congratulatory messages and notes he’s received since his win. Some of them still arrived during the Cadillac Championship, where he was busy trying to fit in.
“The overwhelming feeling of joy and happiness hasn’t gone away yet, so I think for me this year will be a whirlwind and no matter what happens it will be a success,” he said. “I can’t believe how many people have come up to me and congratulated me, the players, the teams and the staff, it’s been incredible. So yeah, they’ve really made me feel welcome, and that’s been really nice.”
