What would winning this year’s Zurich Classic of New Orleans mean?
It depends on the team. In some cases, it depends on the player within the team.
Take world No. 3 Matt Fitzpatrick, for example. He became a major champion by winning the 2022 U.S. Open. Last week, he beat world numero uno Scottie Scheffler in a playoff to win the RBC Heritage, one of the elevated purse signature events on the PGA Tour.
A win for him this week would be nice. Any PGA Tour victory is a rare gem. But victory probably would be more meaningful to Matt for what it would mean for his brother Alex.
Alex Fitzpatrick is no top-10 world player like his older sibling, but he’s no slouch, either. He arrived in New Orleans ranked 141st in the world, and last month he earned his first victory on the DP World Tour.
It came at the Hero Indian Open on the Gary Player-designed course at a place called DLF Golf & Country Club just outside the capital New Delhi. Two-time Masters and former Zurich champ Rory McIlroy once called DLF “the most infamous golf course in the world” for its difficulty. Coming as it did the week after Matt won the Valspar Championship in the Tampa Bay area, it made them the first siblings to win on the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour in back-to-back weeks.
“I’ll try and explain how this feels without crying,” the 27-year-old said that week. “It’s been a lot of hard work for a long time. It can be hard sometimes when you’re constantly chasing someone’s accolades, but luckily, it’s my brother.
“It’s extremely nice to join him in the winners’ ranks, and hopefully I can continue to push on. I idolize him. I’m just trying to be like him in every way. So yeah, hopefully we can keep doing well.”
Alex plays most of his golf on the DP World Tour, which in baseball terms is Triple-A ball to the PGA Tour’s major leagues. Impressive to play and win on, certainly, but not the highest level. It’s like the EFL Championship league in English football, where the Fitzpatricks’ beloved Sheffield United is languishing mid table, compared to the Premier League.
A win this week would change all of that. A win this week, aside from nearly $1.4 million for each player, would give Alex Fitzpatrick (here on a sponsor’s exemption) an exemption to play the entire PGA Tour through the 2028 season.
No chasing a golf ball to far-flung places such as India. No worries of English football-like relegation for the rest of this season. And the next. And the next.
A win for Alex Fitzpatrick would change his career.
“It would obviously mean a lot,” he said. “The thing is you can’t force it. I think that would be something I might be thinking about if we’re coming down the stretch on Sunday and we’re in contention.
“Yeah, it would be nice to win. But also, it’s just nice to be here with (Matt) and have the opportunity to play and compete and see how we get on. Hopefully, we don’t play like (Sheffield United).”
Through the first two rounds of the Zurich, the brothers Fitzpatrick are definitely on much finer form than Sheffield United.
They were disappointed by their finish Thursday in the easier best-ball format, both hitting their second shots in the water on the par-5 18th hole leading to bogeys and a solid but could-have-been-better 8-under 64. But they bounced back impressively Friday with a superb 7-under 65 in the tougher alternate-shot format, the best round of the day, highlighted by Matt’s 60-foot chip in for eagle on 18. That put the Fitzpatricks in a three-way tie for second, just one back of first-round leaders Alex Smalley and Hayden Springer.
“I felt like we played really solid, holed the putts when we needed to and came up with a nice score,” Alex said.
On Saturday, the tournament reverts back to the more score-friendly best-ball format before finishing Sunday with alternate shot. The brothers were planning to have dinner at Mr. B’s Bistro in the French Quarter for the third time this week.
Alex Fitzpatrick said he’s enjoyed the food just about everywhere he’s played golf in the world, which is just about everywhere.
“I really loved playing in South Korea last year for the first time,” he said. “The food was absolutely amazing. Sounds like my head always follows the food, but there’s just little things everywhere that are amazing.”
Win Sunday, and the Fitzpatricks can make Mr. B’s and a few other famous New Orleans restaurants their home base next season and the one after that.