Alex Fitzpatrick is making a name for himself. Eight days ago, brothers Matt and Alex Fitzpatrick won the Zurich Classic in New Orleans, with the victory proving particularly significant for Alex.
The Zurich Classic win granted both players a two-year membership on the PGA Tour and spots in Signature Events. While a minor step for Matt, now the No. 4 player in the world, it marked a major moment for Alex, who was ranked 141st entering the week.
From DP World Tour to PGA Success
Alex Fitzpatrick had been having a good season on the DP World Tour, with a tie for sixth at the Joburg Open and a win at the Hero Indian Open in March. Last week marked his debut as a PGA Tour member at a Signature Event, competing alongside names such as Scottie Scheffler, Cameron Young, and Collin Morikawa.
In just his 12th career PGA Tour start, he tied for ninth and won $500,000.
“There’s still loads of expectations that I put on myself,” Alex said at the Cadillac Championship. He was asked if securing his Tour card allowed him to play more freely. “It was unbelievable to win, but then you come out here and you’re expected to compete and you expect to play well and there’s always that you want to try and perform every week. For me everything’s a bonus at this stage, which does help, but I’m still a golfer at the end of the day and I’m sure I’ll hit bad shots and I’ll still get annoyed.”
Cadillac Championship Performance
Alex, 27, is four years younger than his brother Matt, who took last week off. At Trump National Doral’s Blue Monster course, Alex carded rounds of 72-66-74-67. His nine-under par was 10 strokes behind the winner, Young, and four behind Scheffler, who finished second.
- He led the field in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee (+4.15).
- He also led in driving accuracy.
- He finished 63rd in putting.
Fitzpatrick Pleased with His Game
“I’m doing the right things with my golf game,” he said. “I’m working towards the right things. It’s exciting. I feel like my game has been good for a while now. I think for a few months it didn’t really translate on the golf course how I would have liked, but it’s really taken a turn the past two months. I feel in control of my ball, which is nice.”
After winning the Zurich, Alex Fitzpatrick had been scheduled to fly to Turkey for the DP World Tour’s Turkish Airlines Open. He no longer needed to.
Mikael Lindberg won that tournament, earning $466,437. Fitzpatrick took home $500,000 for his T9, after winning $1.372 million in New Orleans.
He is also catching up on congratulatory messages from his victory, some of which arrived during the Cadillac Championship, where he was proving he fits in.
“The overwhelming feeling of like joy and happiness is yet to go