The Fitzpatrick brothers posted a record 57 to lead the 4 at the Zurich Classic
AVONDALE, La. — – Matt Fitzpatrick and his younger brother Alex shot a tournament-record 15-under 57 in Saturday’s best-of-the-road match, giving them a four-shot lead into the final round of the Zurich Classic.
“It’s a fantastic day. Maybe it doesn’t really sink in with how well we played today, to be honest,” Matt Fitzpatrick said. “It was just hole after hole.”
The Englishman was 30-under 186 to 54 – also a record in the PGA Tour’s only team event.
Matt Fitzpatrick has continued to deliver the goods after arriving as golf’s hottest player with two wins this spring, including last weekend at Harbor Town. The older brother, ranked third in the world, highlighted his round with a birdie on the first hole and a 33 1/2-foot eagle putt on the par-5 seventh.
His 210-yard approach with a 5-iron on No. 12 landed 4 feet from the hole, setting up a birdie that gave the Fitzpatricks the lead they kept all day.
Alex Fitzpatrick, who plays on the European Tour, holds his own as he seeks his first PGA Tour title, which would give him a 2028 exemption on the same tour as his more successful brother.
“He’s played some brilliant golf the last two days. His game has really come into its own over the last few months, and I believe in him that he’ll continue that trend,” the elder Fitzpatrick said of his younger brother, who won the Indian Open last month. “He did all the right things, and obviously it was nice for him to have a big impact there in the back nine.”
Alex Fitzpatrick found the green on the 4th eighth with a 325-yard tee shot to set up a birdie. He birdied 16 with a short chip-in and the par-3 17 with an 18-foot putt. Alex reached the par-5 18th green in two to record his team’s eighth birdie on the back nine.
“To me, it feels like whatever happens tomorrow, it’s going to be a good week either way,” Alex said. “You know, just spending time with family, which I don’t get to do very often, is great. It makes it even better that we’re playing good golf.”
The new drop at TPC Louisiana comes after a pre-dawn thunderstorm led to players being allowed to lift, clean and place golf balls on the fairway. The wind has dropped as the warm, humid air settles over the old cypress swamp where the course was built long before the wind returned during the day.
“I didn’t think we would have the points we did,” Alex Fitzpatrick said. “We definitely exceeded our expectations today.”
Alex Smalley and Hayden Springer, who had a record combined 58 in Thursday’s best 48-hour round, shot 62 and tied for second with Davis Thompson and Austin Eckroat.
Doug Ghim and Jeffrey Kang shot 61 to move into fourth place, five shots back.
Zach Bauchou had the event’s first hole-in-one since 2024 on the par-3 third hole. He and Sam Stevens finished with 64 and were eight shots back.
Billy Horschel – the only player to win Zurich as an individual and in a team format – shot a 64 with partner Tom Hoge. They hit seven shots back on Sunday.
