Life is good for the Fitzpatrick family. Pretty good, actually, as brothers Matt and Alex Fitzpatrick are leading the way Classic Zurich of four, the team’s annual event on the PGA Tour.
But life can take really good Sunday night if they win. Alex, ranked 141st in the world, would get the biggest boost of his career: full PGA Tour membership through 2028 and qualification to the remaining 2026 signature events, as well as the PGA Championship next month. All through an event he might not have otherwise played in.
Alex Fitzpatrick is a fantastic golfer – we can’t forget that. And he is well on his way to becoming a member of the PGA Tour for 2027, thanks to a victory a few weeks ago at the Hero Indian Open. But he is the exception to a sponsor this week in Zurich, playing alongside his brother, who is not only the world’s third-ranked player. He is also the most recent winner on the PGA Tour.
Matty Fitz is playing the best golf of his life, having just beat Scottie Scheffler in a playoff last week at the RBC Heritage. He’s the main reason the Fitzpatricks entered this week as the odds-on favorite. Due to the nefarious nature of this event, the older brother may choose his younger brother as a teammate, as long as the younger brother is a member of the PGA Tour OR exclusion of a sponsor. Alex gets into the last bucket. While Alex certainly deserves an exemption look, we’re guessing that Matt’s interest in playing alongside his brother was an extra weight in the scale for tournament organizers. The two have paired up in Zurich in each of the last three years.
All of this is setting the table for what could happen on Sunday. After going completely nuclear on Saturday afternoon, the Fitzpatrick Bros now lead by four with just 18 holes to play. They scored a four-ball tournament record of 57 (15 under), which ended up being a very even lift. Matt made six birdies and an eagle, while Alex made seven birdies, including a flurry of great shots on the final three holes.
This brings them to the brink of something special, where a win would take Alex to a level his career has never seen. He has never competed in a Signature Event, and would suddenly win starts in four of them over the next nine weeks, in addition to a major championship along the way. If she it doesn’t happens, Alex might be on the first flight out. He is currently on the ground at next week’s Turkish Airlines DP World Tour.
All you’ll need is to play well in a nerve-wracking final round with one of your best friends. Other brother bands have competed in the event in the past, but none have ever won. And these stakes, as obvious as they may be to a TV viewing audience, are certainly not far from the Fitzpatricks’ minds either, given that Alex was asked about it during a pre-tournament press conference.
“It obviously means a lot,” he said earlier this week. “I think the thing is, you can’t force it. I think that would be something I could think about if we go down on Sunday and we’re in contention, but right now, the focus is just on preparing well and seeing where that takes us.”
Fifty-four holes later, it’s all become much more real. They kick off at 12.50pm on Sunday and it will be up to now to decide who will take the first kick.
