No one has won more on the PGA Tour this season than Matt Fitzpatrick.
After just losing out at The Players to Cameron Young on the final hole, the Englishman bounced back emphatically with a win at the Valspar Championship, and beat Scottie Scheffler in a playoff duel at the RBC Heritage.
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His play in 2026 has seen Fitzpatrick rise to number three in the Official World Golf Rankings, behind only Scheffler and McIlroy, which is the highest ranking of the 31-year-old’s career.
Fitzpatrick is now a four-time winner on the PGA Tour and a US Open winner, yet entering The Masters, he wasn’t among the top favorites to win the Green Jacket. But his brother, Alex Fitzpatrick, who is playing with him at the Zurich Classic this week, isn’t surprised by that.
Photo by Tracy Wilcox/PGA TOUR via Getty Images
Why Alex Fitzpatrick isn’t surprised that Matt Fitzpatrick isn’t a favorite at majors
Before the Zurich Classic, where Alex Fitzpatrick hopes to earn a PGA Tour exemption with a win alongside his brother, the DP World Tour member was asked if it surprises him that Matt Fitzpatrick isn’t favored to win more majors.
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Alex explained why he isn’t: “Not really, no. You know, your Rorys and Scotties of the world, they’re always going to be the favorites going into the majors and stuff. Unbelievable players.
“With all the hard work that I’ve seen him do and all the behind-the-scenes stuff that I’ve seen, it’s hard to say I didn’t expect it. I did expect it. Sorry.
“Golf is a hard enough game. To see him from last year where he wasn’t playing the golf he wanted to to now winning multiple events in the year, I think, yeah, he’ll contend at all the majors he wants to this year. Hopefully I didn’t jinx it, but it wouldn’t surprise me if I see him pick one off. That would be pretty cool.”
Following up on that, Matt Fitzpatrick said if he feels overlooked, “I think all relative. You are always going to have guys in and around form, in and around the majors. You know, realistically, I haven’t — since winning the U.S. Open, I haven’t really shown that.
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“Last year I did at The Open and even at the PGA I had a chance, but that was still early on in some of the changes I was making.
“Yeah, like I say, I do feel it’s all relative. If you’re in form going into the majors, you’re always going to be someone that’s going to be looked at. Obviously, I would assume, which I hate doing, I hate assuming, all of a sudden I’m going to be one of the favorites of the PGA. Two months ago, that was probably never the case.
“So it all comes to, I guess, the form you’re in and people’s talking points and history. It doesn’t really bother me either way. It’s, like, you know, it’s great to have the recognition, but also, happy to fly under the radar too.”
Matt Fitzpatrick says why he’s a different player now that he’s world number three
With two wins in 2026 and three in the space of five months, Fitzpatrick said that he’s a different player now to the one he was when he won the US Open in 2023.
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The Sheffield-born star said, “I’ve always believed in myself that I could achieve some of the things I have already achieved. I feel like my game probably wasn’t — didn’t necessarily match my own expectations or beliefs, maybe a few years ago.
“I feel like now I’m a different player. My game is very much different to where it was in the past, and obviously, the results so far this season have kind of matched up more to the beliefs that I’ve had in myself and my own ability to contend.
“I think because of that, it’s obviously nice to have that confidence going into the season and going into the rest of the events. Like I say, I’m also always happy to be flying under the radar. It doesn’t bother me at all.”
The Fitzpatrick brothers are favorites to win the Zurich this week, and if Matt can claim his third win of the month, surely he’ll be considered among the very favourites to win the PGA Championship at Aronimink.
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