Matt Fitzpatrick entered the Zurich Classic with his brother, Alex, as the favorites.
No one has won on the PGA Tour more than Fitzpatrick this season, and he entered New Orleans off the back of a playoff win over Scottie Scheffler at the RBC Heritage.
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The Zurich is of great significance for the Fitzpatricks, as a win would give Alex, who currently plays on the DP World Tour, a two-year exemption on the PGA. So Matt, the world number three, desperately wanted to play well.
Their opening round did not go to plan. They are in T30, six strokes behind the leaders. And Matt Fitzpatrick was incredibly frustrated by the way they ended their round.
Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images
Matt and Alex Fitzpatrick frustrated by opening round of the Zurich Classic
Round one of the Zurich Classic was a fourball format, where birdies were essentially pars. A lightning pace was set in the early window, as Alex Smalley and Hayden Springer finished 14-under.
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The Fitzpatrick brothers couldn’t match that pace early, going one-under through four, and despite picking up form on the back nine, they inexplicably bogeyed the par five 18th to fall back to eight under.
That wasn’t good enough, according to Matt Fitzpatrick, who shared his thoughts on the round afterward: “I felt like it was a little slow to start with. We didn’t have enough balls on the green, early balls on the front nine to give ourselves chances. I thought we did a bad job on the back.
“I’ve holed two long and lucky putts really on sort of 16, 17 there, which is a nice bonus, but would have been nice to take an advantage on 18 and make a birdie.
“Yeah, really disappointing way to end with two balls in perfect position. It’s not good enough, really.”
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Alex Fitzpatrick added, “Yeah, he hit the nail on the head. Obviously frustrated. The two putts kind of helped us get to nine. I kind of didn’t feel like I had my game today, so it was nice that he kind of played well and kind of carried us a little bit there.
“Yeah, overall frustrated. To do what I did on the last, there’s so much green to the left and a lot of grass over there. You know, to hit the shot I did was, yeah, not good enough. Hopefully, come out firing tomorrow and see what we’ve got.”
What a win at the Zurich Classic would give Alex Fitzpatrick
He’s a recent DP World Tour winner, but a win at the Zurich Classic would change everything for Alex Fitzpatrick.
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Not only would he receive a two-year exemption for the PGA Tour and be able to enter fields alongside his brother, but he would also get entry to every single signature event for the rest of the year. These events have a $20 million purse and no cut, making them priceless opportunities for players.
And in addition to that, Fitzpatrick would also receive entry to the upcoming PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club. He only has one major appearance in his career, an impressive T17 at The Open Championship, so a win in New Orleans would present some incredible opportunities.
After their opening round, the Fitzpatricks have a lot of work to do, so hopefully they can regain some ground in Friday’s alternate-shot.
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