Brothers Make History: Fitzpatricks Claim First PGA Tour Pairs Victory at Zurich Classic

English duo edge out competitors in thrilling finish at TPC Louisiana

Alex and Matt Fitzpatrick have etched their names into golf history, becoming the inaugural brothers to capture a PGA Tour event as they triumphed at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans pairs championship. The English siblings secured victory with a tournament-leading score of 31-under par at TPC Louisiana.

The Fitzpatricks held a commanding four-shot advantage heading into Sunday's final round, bolstered by their record-setting performance from Saturday. However, the brothers encountered significant turbulence down the stretch, with a double bogey at the 12th hole and a subsequent bogey on the 14th unexpectedly narrowing their advantage.

This sudden turn of events breathed life into their pursuers. Norwegian pairing Kristoffer Reitan and Kristoffer Ventura, alongside American teammates Alex Smalley and Hayden Springer, capitalized on the opportunity, creating a three-way tie at 30-under par with two teams already completing their rounds. The Fitzpatricks found themselves facing mounting pressure on the 18th tee.

With the tournament hanging in the balance, world-ranked third Matt executed a clinical bunker shot on the final hole, positioning Alex for a straightforward birdie putt from mere yards away. Alex converted the putt to deliver the championship.

"It won't sink in," Alex reflected immediately following the victory. "It's amazing to be here with him, my mum and dad. It's a lot of hard work and I can't believe we've done it. It's as good as it gets."

The triumph represents a remarkable turnaround for the Sheffield-based brothers, who missed the cut at last year's Zurich Classic and finished tied for 11th place in 2024. Their victory secures a prize purse of £1 million.

Matt, 31, acknowledged the grueling nature of the competition. "It was a struggle," the 2022 US Open champion explained. "I was doing zero to help him but he was fantastic on the back nine. I said 'just give us a chance on the last to hit a bunker shot like that'. It means the world. I'm absolutely speechless, it was a grind today but he was unbelievable and I could not be more proud."

Matt arrives at this triumph having already secured two victories this season, including a triumph at last week's RBC Heritage.

Final Leaderboard

• -31 A Fitzpatrick/M Fitzpatrick (Eng)
• -30 K Reitan/K Ventura (Nor), A Smalley/H Springer (US)
• -28 T Crowe/B Martin (US), JS Olesen/R Neergaard-Petersen (Den)
• -26 S Power/M Schmid (Ire/Ger)
• -25 D Brown/J Parry (Eng)
• -22 A Rai/S Theegala (Eng/US)
• -20 M Penge/M Wallace (Eng)

The Zurich Classic featured four competitive rounds, with competing pairs alternating between fourball format—where each player plays their own ball and the best score counts—during rounds one and three, and foursomes—alternate shot play—in rounds two and four.