Rory McIlroy despatched an excellent message to Matt Fitzpatrick after he and his brother Alex gained the Zurich Basic at TPC Louisiana
Masters champion Rory McIlroy despatched Matt Fitzpatrick an excellent X-rated textual content after he and his youthful brother clinched the pairs match on the Zurich Basic at TPC Louisiana on Sunday. The Fitzpatrick brothers pocketed £1million in prize cash every, changing into the primary pair of brothers to win a PGA Tour occasion collectively.
Alex now holds a two-year exemption on the PGA Tour following the victory in New Orleans, and has lots to thank his older brother for after a surprising bunker shot on the 18th, with a birdie required to seal the win. His outstanding effort left Alex with a simple putt, and he made no mistake from shut vary.
In an all-access video shared by the PGA Tour, the Fitzpatrick brothers are caught on digital camera discussing a textual content message Matt acquired from McIlroy.
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Alex requested his brother: “Is your telephone blowing up in addition to mine?” Matt replied: “It is Rory. ‘What a f****** bunker shot!'”
“I simply watched it,” Alex stated after viewing the replay. “It is one of the vital disgusting bunker photographs ever.”
The youthful Fitzpatrick added: “I simply cannot recover from that bunker shot. It was going sideways in direction of the outlet.”
The Sheffield siblings made historical past as the primary brothers to say the staff title, however Matt additionally grew to become the primary golfer in over two years to win back-to-back occasions on the PGA Tour and the primary Englishman to win thrice in the identical American season.
His excellent 35-yard bunker shot on the par-five closing gap left his youthful brother needing only a tap-in to publish 31 underneath and keep away from a three-way play-off.
The duo had began the day 4 strokes clear, however a bogey on the 14th had eaten into that benefit after Matt drove behind a tree and Alex’s restoration cannoned off one other, leading to a double bogey on the twelfth.
Matt, contemporary from profitable final week’s RBC Heritage, was struggling regardless of being the extra seasoned of the 2, and when Alex struck his tee shot to 14 ft on the difficult par-three seventeenth, his brother mis-hit the birdie try.
Norwegians Kristoffer Reitan and Kris Ventura, together with American duo Alex Smalley and Hayden Springer, have been already within the clubhouse on 30 underneath – however Matt made amends down the final with an excellent sand save to arrange that pivotal, career-defining birdie for his brother.
(Picture: Stacy Revere, Getty Photos)
“It was a battle. I used to be doing absolute (sic) zero to assist him other than the putt I made on 15. I wasn’t offering a lot help however he (Alex) was improbable on the again 9,” stated world quantity three Matt following the victory.
Alex, presently sitting 141st on the planet rankings, has till 5pm native time (8pm BST) on Monday to formally register with the PGA Tour to safe his place within the 20million US greenback (£14m) Cadillac Championship kicking off on Thursday at US president Donald Trump’s Doral resort in Florida.
Alex stated: “It will not sink in – I’ve bought a flight booked for Turkey tonight (as he was scheduled to compete within the Turkish Airways Open on the DP World Tour).
“It is wonderful to be right here with him (Matt), mum and pa. It is nearly as good because it will get.”
