Matt Fitzpatrick and Alex Fitzpatrick will tee it up together for just the second time in the same group at the 2023 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, from October 5-8.
Matt, arrives straight from last week’s Ryder Cup success where he helped Team Europe to a momentous 16 ½ - 11 ½ victory against the U.S. Team at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club.
Following on from his success in Rome, Italy, Matt, who was closely followed by brother Alex in the Eternal City, returns to the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, where he will team up with his mother Susan.
The mother and son duo took to the challenge at St Andrews, Kingsbarns and Carnoustie 12 months ago and the 29-year-old is looking forward to doing the same following the Ryder Cup heroics. This time, they'll be joined by Alex in the opening three rounds to make it a family affair for a second time, a year after the brothers were drawn together on Saturday at the Old Course at St Andrews.
“Obviously playing in Rome was pretty special but looking forward to this week,” said Matt, who also teamed up with Alex during the Zurich Classic on the PGA Tour earlier this year.
“Been looking forward to it for a while since we decided to play again.
“I was very surprised that we (Alex and I) got drawn together, but yes, always nice and to play with my mum as well, pretty surreal.”
“It is definitely a special week. My dad would love to play but I think Alex has got to do something special before he can start picking and choosing his partner,” he laughed.
“It's just so nice to be here and the Old Course in general. The three courses we play are fantastic.”
It's not the first time the Fitzpatrick brothers have teed up together this year, either. The brothers, who often joke they have completely polar opposite personalities, teamed up together during the Zurich Classic on the PGA Tour earlier this year, and Matt is hopeful that one day they can emulate the Molinari's and play alongside each other in the Ryder Cup.
"Looking at the Molinaris, they have done it," he said.
"The Højgaards, they have got a great chance of doing it as well. Me and Alex certainly have a great chance of doing it. To be able to do that again would be incredibly special. We obviously got some good practise in at Zurich this year. So hopefully a sign of things to come."
Yet while Matt is excited about making it a week to remember with his family, he also admitted that he sought out some advice from England Cricketer Joe Root. following his own personal record during Europe's victory last week.
The 2022 U.S. Open Champion claimed his first Ryder Cup point during the Friday four-balls match alongside Rory McIlroy, completing a 5&3 victory over American duo Collin Morikawa and Xander Schauffele, which he had described a t the time as one of the greatest days of his career.
But he lost his next two matches, and despite his first experience being both at a home Ryder Cup and on a winning side, Fitzpatrick said he did end up asking Root about how he dealt with the experience of being on a winning team when you don't feel like you've individually contributed.
"Yeah, it was weird, it was a mix of emotions for me," he said.
"I think to get my first four-ball point -- to get my first point on Friday, after one of the greatest days I've had on the golf course and to be ahead by some distance was just amazing. Obviously after that, didn't really play as well as I would have liked. Played well in practise but couldn't take that to the golf course. To not sort of come in and support the team the last two days, that was disappointing to me.
"But it's interesting, I spoke to Joe Root yesterday to ask him a question about, you know, being part of a team and not necessarily feeling like you contribute. It's new to me. It's an individual game, and you know, I don't have to worry about letting anyone else down. It's just myself week-in, week-out.
"But when you're part of a team and you don't feel like you've contributed but the team has won, it's a weird feeling. I look back at my last two, and I contribute but we lost. I can accept that more, whereas unfortunately like you almost can't celebrate as much because you've not done as much.
"But Joe gave me some great advice, and it's like, it's the way it is. You have to understand it's about the team -- I know it's definitely not about myself, it's about us as a team and that's why we do so well. But it was interesting kind of emotions for me because obviously disappointing to not do better for myself but obviously absolutely delighted to win."
