PALM HARBOR, Fla. – When Alex Fitzpatrick was 13 years old, he caddied for his brother, Matthew, at the U.S. Amateur. Young Alex still remembers the prize that he received for big bro winning the Havemeyer Trophy.
“My goal for the week was winning an iPhone off my dad, who promised me, if we won the tournament,” Alex recalled. “Obviously he never expected (us) to.”
In a that was then, this is now moment, big bro Matt is ranked 26th in the world and Alex, a 23-year-old senior at Wake Forest, is set to make his PGA Tour debut this week at the Valspar Championship at Innisbrook Resort’s Copperhead Course. He earned an exemption into the field for winning the Valspar Collegiate Invitational last year. It marks the first time the two brothers have competed in the same tournament.
“Unless you’re counting like the local medal that you play at your golf course,” Alex said.
Matt Fitzpatrick poses with his family, dad, Russell, brother Alex and mom Sue after winning the 2013 U. S. Amateur at The Country Club.
He earned the exemption by shooting 12-under 201 to win the individual title at The Floridian, but was unaware until an announcement at the dinner before the final round of the cherry topping that awaited the winner.
“My eyes kind of lit up a little bit, and I was a bit taken back,” he said. “It was kind of a nerve-wracking final 18 holes. It was always in the back of my mind, but I played nice golf and managed to get it done, and now I’m here and I couldn’t be happier.”
Alex is a two-time member of the Great Britain & Ireland Walker Cup team and is ranked sixth in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, reaching as high as fourth earlier in the year. He’s recorded five top-20 finishes in his last six events. In June, he likely will join the play-for-pay ranks.
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“Ideally I would be in the top five for the PGA Tour University, fingers cross that had would happen,” Fitzpatrick said, noting that it would earn him several exemptions into Korn Ferry events during the summer. “If I didn’t finish top five, that’s sort of an open door at the moment. I’m still trying to figure that out. I think regardless I think I’m going to turn pro in June.”
Other brothers of recent vintage who have played in the pro ranks include Brooks and Chase Koepka, Nick and Curtis Thompson, whose sister Lexi has been the most successful of the Thompson brood, and British Open winner Francesco Molinari and brother Eduardo, who were Ryder Cup teammates. The LPGA is flush with some prominent sister duos: World No. 2 Nelly Korda and sister Jessica and major winner Ariya and Moriya Jutanagarn.
Brother-sister tandems included Australians Min Woo and Min Jee and Americans Danielle and Alex Kang. Asked late last year how good of a Ryder Cup pairing the Fitzpatrick brothers would make, Matthew said very good.
“I would love that,” he said. “I’m good friends with Edoardo Molinari. I’ve never really spoke to him properly about it, but I’m sure it’s one of his best moments in his career I would imagine, and I’m sure it would be one of mine if we were lucky enough to play together. To be on the same team would be very, very special.”
Matthew, 27, has won seven times on the DP World Tour, most recently at the Andalucia Masters, and twice represented Europe in the Ryder Cup. He’s set a high bar for his brother to clear.
“We’re four years apart it’s almost a little bit, the gap is almost a little too big to sort of play sort of games,” Alex said. “He was a lot better than me when he was like 16 and I was 12.”
“He’s sort of left me to it,” Alex added. “I feel like he’s got to a point now where he feels like I’m mature enough to sort of make my own decisions and manage my way around the course.”
Alex tried to familiarize himself with the course during Monday’s pro-am and the brothers played an 18-hole practice round together on Tuesday. This could be a good week to beat his big bro.
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