The Fitzpatrick brothers have had a terrific 2026 season separately, with Matt winning twice on the PGA Tour and Alex capturing his first DP World Tour win. This week, they’ve combined forces for the Zurich Classic and have maintained that tremendous form, peaking on Saturday afternoon to post a tournament record 57 (-15) in the final day of the best ball format to surge into a four-shot lead in New Orleans.
After starting the day one back of the lead, the Fitzpatrick brothers opened their round with a pair of birdies, but really got things going from No. 5 to No. 8, making three birdies and an eagle in that stretch to maintain their spot near the top of the leaderboard.
As strong as their 7-under 29 was on the front nine, they managed to better it on the back side as they made eight birdies and just one par, laying siege to a defenseless TPC Louisiana in soft conditions. While Matt did much of the damage on the front with three birdies and an eagle, it was Alex who took care of business on the back with five of their birdies.
Even on the few occasions they weren’t nestled close to the flag after their approach, the Fitzpatricks still managed to find a way to make birdie, including this chip-in from Alex on the 16th to keep their heater going.
With their 57, the Fitzpatricks moved to 30 under for the tournament and will take a four-shot lead into alternate shot on Sunday. Given they lit up the field with a 7-under 65 on Friday in that format — the best of any team — they’ll be brimming with confidence that they can run away and hide at the top of the leaderboard.
If they do so, it will be a career-changing win for Alex and another star-making performance from Matt. Alex Fitzpatrick would secure a two-year exemption on the PGA Tour with a win alongside his brother, which would allow him to join his brother stateside. For Matt, it would give him a third win this season — more than he had in his entire career prior to 2026 — and cement his place as one of the game’s very best right now.
Other contenders
T2. Alex Smalley and Hayden Springer, Davis Thompson and Austin Eckroat (-26)
4. Doug Ghim and Jeffrey Kang (-25)
T5. Billy Horschel and Tom Hoge, Matt McCarty and Mac Meissner, Eric Cole and Hank Lebioda, Kristoffer Reitan and Kris Ventura, Brice Garnett and Lee Hodges (-23)
If they’re going to capture that win, the Fitzpatricks will have to hold off a couple teams that have been near the top of the leaderboard since Thursday. Smalley and Springer held the lead after the first two rounds, but they couldn’t match the incredible pace of the Fitzpatricks in the final pairing, shooting a 62 on Saturday that was extremely impressive but just not quite enough. Thompson and Eckroat have been in the top 2 after every round so far but have yet to capture the lead, and they’ll need to produce something special on Sunday to catch the brothers at the top.
Ghim and Kang’s 61 on Saturday moved them into solo fourth, and they feel like the last team really in the mix. The big group at 23 under are seven shots back and that’s a huge deficit to make up in alternate shot. We saw on Friday that the best anyone could manage was a 7-under 65 — and that was the duo that have the lead currently.
The best hope for the field is that the Fitzpatricks have the wheels come off and put each other in some tough positions on Sunday, but given the way they’ve played so far this week (and this year) it’s hard to see them giving much back to the field.
Updated Zurich Classic odds, picksMatt Fitzpatrick and Alex Fitzpatrick (2/9)Davis Thompson and Austin Eckroat (9-1)Alex Smalley and Hayden Springer (11-1)Doug Ghim and Jeffrey Kang (30-1)
At this point the value on the Fitzpatricks is gone, but it’s hard to see them not winning. The teams chasing them will need to find better alternate shot form than they showed on Friday, as the Thompson-Eckroat and Smalley-Springer teams both shot 2-under 70s in that format. They will be freed up to go hunt flags and try to put some pressure on the Fitzpatricks, but I think this will be another win for the Englishmen and a particularly special one for Matt with his brother alongside.