AVONDALE, Louisiana — It might not get much better than this for English brothers Matt Fitzpatrick and Alex Fitzpatrick. The duo began to break away from the pack by shooting a tournament-record 15-under 57 during the third round of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans at Avondale, Louisiana.
“I think I can think of one bad shot that we both hit, and that was me,” Matt Fitzpatrick said according to Reuters.
“Yeah, it was an awesome day.” The Fitzpatricks were sparked by Matt’s eagle on the par-5 seventh hole and maintained the momentum during the four-ball format to carry a four-stroke lead into the final round at TPC Louisiana. This is the PGA Tour’s only team event.
The Fitzpatrick team is at 30 under. Davis Thompson/Austin Eckroat (61) and second-round leaders Alex Smalley/Hayden Springer (62) are next at 26 under. The team of Doug Ghim/Jeffrey Kang (61) is at 25 under.
The Fitzpatrick brothers could be headed toward special territory given that last year’s winning score was 28 under from the team of Ben Griffin/Andrew Novak.
“He played brilliant golf both of the last two days,” Matt said of this brother. “His game has really turned a corner these last few months, and I believe in him to continue that trend.”
The Fitzpatricks posted birdies on eight of the nine holes on the backside. They were without a bogey and had four pars. They each provided the best score seven times.
Matt Fitzpatrick, the older of the brothers, has been on a roll recently, including winning last week’s RBC Heritage.
“Playing alongside my brother, who happens also to be one of the best players in the world is pretty fun,” Alex said. “When he’s playing well, it’s pretty cool to watch.”
