As Matt Fitzpatrick lined up his putt on No. 16 Saturday at the Zurich Classic, a voice emerged from the gallery behind the greenside bunker.
“Excuse me,” Sue Fitzpatrick said demurely to a pair of reporters, who had unwittingly stood in her line of sight. “Would you mind moving a little? That’s my son.”
Sue then watched as her oldest son’s 9-foot eagle putt tantalizingly lipped out of the hole. As the crowd let out a collective groan, Matt playfully fell to his back on the green.
“Can you believe it?!” Sue exclaimed with a smile. “So close!”
The third round of the Zurich Classic on Saturday was a family affair for the Fitzpatrick clan from Sheffield, England.
With parents Sue and Russ following them every step of the way, Matt and younger brother, Alex, put on a show during the best-ball competition. The brothers played the final 12 holes in 9-under-par to give the tournament’s only sibling tandem a third-round score of 10-under 62. They’ll enter today’s final round of alternate shot play just five strokes off the lead. Not bad, all things considered, after their lackluster round of 71 in alternate shot play on Friday.
“It was a great back nine, actually back 12,” Matt said. “Alex played great today. We played great in the four ball. We just didn't quite have it yesterday. I feel like it's a positive going into tomorrow."
The brothers Fitzpatrick should not be counted out.
Matt is arguably the hottest player on the PGA Tour, coming off a top 10 finish at the Masters and a win at the RBC Heritage last week in Hilton Head, South Carolina. He entered the Zurich as the No. 8 player in the world, making him the third-highest ranked player in the field behind only Patrick Cantlay (No. 4) and Xander Schauffele (No. 5).
But it was far from a one-Fitzpatrick show at the TPC of Louisiana. Matt made birdie putts of 5, 20 and 44 feet on Nos. 7, 9 and 10 to give the brothers momentum. Alex then got hot with the putter, rolling in birdie putts on Nos. 11, 14 and 18.
The brothers rarely needed assistance from their caddies. Instead, they regularly lined up each other’s putts and plotted hole strategy between themselves throughout the round.
“He makes it easy for me,” Alex said. “He reads the putts, and I line it up, and he tells me it's good and hits it. So far, it's been going good. We'll keep hitting that tomorrow.”
Matt even laid face down on the greens at Nos. 15 an 17 for a close-up view of the playing surface.
“I want to win,” Matt said. “I want to win every week.”
Since winning the U.S. Open in dramatic fashion last year at Brookline (Massachusetts), Matt Fitzpatrick has quickly become one of the most popular players on the PGA Tour. A large and devoted gallery followed the brothers, punctuating their dramatic back-nine run with shouts of “Fitzy!” and “Fitz-magic!” throughout the idyllic afternoon.
Win or lose Sunday, the Zurich has been a rewarding experience for the entire Fitzpatrick clan, a rare chance for the family to commune during the long grind of the golf season. The group is staying in a downtown hotel and enjoyed a meal at Mr. B’s Bistro in the French Quarter on Thursday night.
“It's amazing to be able to spend time as a family, it really is," Matt said. “It's really, really special.”
It’ll be even more special if the Fitzpatricks can rally and win the tournament. Especially for Alex, who is contention for the biggest payday of his life thanks to his brother’s invitation to play the event this week. The Wake Forest product turned pro a year ago and has competed mostly on the lower-level Challenge Tour in Europe and the PGA Tour Canada. He’s yet to finish higher than 11th. His largest payday was $141,747 for a 13th place finish at the Cazoo Open de France.
The Zurich winners will split the $2.485 million first-place prize money.
“Don't take this the wrong way, but I'm not worried about this week for Alex,” said Matt, who is 4 years older than his younger sibling. “I've seen him out there now. He can hold his own. He can definitely be out here (on the PGA Tour). I just want him to enjoy this week, and I think by enjoying it, you're going to give yourself a better chance.”
Thanks to their dominant round on Saturday, the brothers Fitzpatrick are in the hunt.