Shane Lowry and Brooks Koepka failed to make the cut as the Offaly man partnered the American in the absence of Rory McIlroy
Seamus Power(Image: Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
Seamus Power and Matti Schmid finished in a three-way tie for 10th place as Matt and Alex Fitzpatrick bounced back from a wobble in the final round with a stunning conclusion to claim victory at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.
The Waterford man and his German playing partner finished on 26-under-par for the tournament after a final round five-under 67, which included an eagle on the par-five seventh. Power was the only Irish interest on the final two days of the tournament after Shane Lowry and Brooks Koepka failed to make the cut as the Offaly man partnered the American in the absence of Rory McIlroy, who he won this tournament with in 2024.
The winners pocketed €1,170,636 each, while Power and Schmid both went home with cheques for €95,935 for their efforts. Lowry and Koepka went home empty handed after missing the cut.
The Fitzpatrick brothers sealed victory with a birdie on the 18th to make history as the first siblings to triumph in the team competition, while Matt became the first golfer in over two years to secure consecutive PGA Tour victories and the first Englishman to notch three wins in a single American season.
His magnificent 35-yard bunker shot on the par-five closing hole set up a simple tap-in for his younger brother to finish on 31 under par and dodge a three-way play-off.
The triumph handed Alex, who sank the decisive putt in the final-round foursomes, a PGA Tour card valid until 2028, along with entries to the next four Signature Events, next month’s US PGA Championship and the 2027 Players Championship.
The brothers had started the day holding a commanding four-shot advantage, but a bogey on the 14th saw that cushion evaporate after Matt drove behind a tree and Alex’s recovery ricocheted off another, resulting in a double bogey on the 12th.
Matt, fresh from winning last week’s RBC Heritage, was labouring despite being the more seasoned competitor, and when Alex struck his tee shot to 14 feet at the challenging par-three 17th, his brother fluffed the birdie effort.
Alex Fitzpatrick and Matt Fitzpatrick pose with the trophy on the 18th green after winning the Zurich Classic of New Orleans(Image: Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
Norwegians Kristoffer Reitan and Kris Ventura, alongside American duo Alex Smalley and Hayden Springer, had already posted 30 under in the clubhouse, but Matt made amends down the stretch with a brilliant sand save to create the pivotal, career-defining birdie opportunity for his sibling. “It was a struggle. I was doing absolute (sic) zero to help him apart from the putt I made on 15. I wasn’t providing much support but he (Alex) was fantastic on the back nine,” world number three Matt admitted.
Alex, currently sitting at 141st in the global rankings, has a deadline of 5pm local time (8pm BST) on Monday to formally register with the PGA Tour if he’s to compete in the $20million (€17m) Cadillac Championship, which kicks off on Thursday at US president Donald Trump’s Doral resort in Florida.
He added: “It won’t sink in – I’ve got a flight booked for Turkey tonight (as he was scheduled to compete in the Turkish Airlines Open on the DP World Tour).
“It’s amazing to be here with him (Matt), mum and dad. It’s as good as it gets.”