Brothers Matt and Alex Fitzpatrick captured the PGA Tour's Zurich Classic pairs crown in a thrilling finish on Sunday, overcoming a late collapse to birdie the final hole and secure victory in New Orleans.
A dramatic win for the English duo
The Fitzpatricks, who began the final round with a four-stroke lead, saw their advantage vanish after a double bogey on the 12th hole and a bogey on the 14th. However, they held their nerve on the 18th, with Alex sinking a birdie putt after Matt's bunker shot landed within two feet of the cup. The pair finished at 31-under par for the tournament, one stroke ahead of the chasing pack.
World number three Matt Fitzpatrick, who won the RBC Heritage last week, claimed his second PGA Tour title in as many weeks. Alex, a regular on the DP World Tour, earned PGA Tour playing status through 2028 and an exemption into the upcoming PGA Championship.
Emotional victory
"I'm still shaking," said Alex Fitzpatrick, 27, after making the winning putt. "It was crazy." The brothers' victory was hard-fought, as they faced strong competition from the teams of Alex Smalley and Hayden Springer, and Norwegian duo Kristoffer Reitan and Kris Ventura, who both finished at 30-under.
Reitan and Ventura briefly shared the lead after an eagle at the 18th, where Reitan's approach set up a seven-foot putt for Ventura. Smalley and Springer were also in contention until a bogey at 17, but they bounced back with a birdie at the last.
Reflections on the round
Matt Fitzpatrick acknowledged the team's strong start but admitted to struggles after the 12th hole. "I felt like we played great for the first 11 holes," he said. "We were really, really steady, really solid and didn't really put a foot wrong. Just the one hole on 12, you've made that, and you quickly are sort of scrambling a little bit. From then on I felt like I struggled with my game, and I didn't play well. Alex played fantastic. He really sort of managed to keep us in it."
