Alex and Matt Fitzpatrick jumped into the lead at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans with a tournament record score.
The English brothers began round three one shot off the lead but moved four clear in the PGA Tour pairs event having shot a 15-under 57 on Saturday at TPC Louisiana.
“Yeah, it was an awesome day,” said world number three Matt Fitzpatrick. “I think I can think of one bad shot that we hit, and that was me.”
The 2022 US Open winner made an eagle on the par-five seventh hole and the pair maintained their momentum during the four-ball format.
The event is played over four rounds, with teams of two alternating between four-ball (best ball) in the first and third rounds and foursomes (alternate shot) in the second and fourth rounds.
The Fitzpatrick brothers posted 13 birdies – eight on the back nine – alongside their eagle and were without a bogey. They each provided the best score seven times.
They finished the day on 30 under overall, with Davis Thompson and Austin Eckroat tied for second alongside Alex Smalley and Hayden Springer in the US tour’s only team event.
Last year’s winning score was 28 under from Ben Griffin and Andrew Novak, while the tournament best is the 30 under in 2023 by Nick Hardy and Davis Riley.
Alex Fitzpatrick, 27, is now ranked 141st in the world and older brother Matt said: “He played brilliant golf both of the last two days. His game has really turned a corner these last few months, and I believe in him to continue that trend.”
The Fitzpatricks finished in a tie for 11th in the Zurich Classic in 2024 and missed the cut last year.
Matt Fitzpatrick, 31, already has two wins this year, including 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,” said Alex Fitzpatrick. “When he’s playing well, it’s pretty cool to watch.”
The format goes back to foursomes for the final round on Sunday, with a cheque worth £1m going to the winning pair.
