Reigning U.S.Open Champion Matt Fitzpatrick will team with his brother Alex in the 2023 Zurich Classic

Matt won the 2022 U.S. Open and the 2013 U.S. Amateur on the same course

 NEW ORLEANS, LA (March 27, 2023)—Matt Fitzpatrick, the reigning U.S. Open champion, will team with his brother Alex, who plays on the DP World Tour, in this year’s Zurich Classic, announced Steve Worthy, CEO of the Fore!Kids Foundation, producer of the tournament.

“We are excited to have Matt and Alex joining us in New Orleans for the first time,” said Worthy. “We’ve been fortunate to have some great partnership stories in team play, and this adds to that legacy. Matt is a major champion, and his brother is a rising star, so we expect their familiarity will make them a very competitive team,” Worthy added.

Matt Fitzpatrick, currently ranked 15^th in the world, earned his first win on the PGA Tour last year, and it was a big one—the U.S. Open.  His victory came at The Country Club, where he also won the 2013 U.S. Amateur. He became only the second player to win both the U.S. Open and the U.S. Amateur on the same course. The other was Jack Nicklaus.

His victory at the U.S. Open capped the most successful season in his short PGA Tour career. He posted 10 top-10 finishes in 20 events played, including a tie for second at the Wells Fargo Championship; a tie for fifth at the FedEx St. Jude Championship, his first career top-five in a FedExCup Playoffs event; and a tie for fifth in the PGA Championship.

Matt had been steadily finding more success on the PGA Tour as he played more events. In the 2020-21 season, he posted five top 10 and nine top 25 finishes in only 20 events. His best finish that season was a tie for fourth in the RBC Heritage.

So far this season, his best tournament was a tie for seventh at the Sentry Tournament of Champions that kicked off the new year.

A native of Sheffield, England, he turned professional in 2014 after a short stay playing collegiately for Northwestern University. While he was still in college, he became the first amateur since Bobby Jones in 1930 to hold low amateur titles at The Open Championship and U.S. Open at the same time.

He qualified for the European Tour in late 2014 and in June, 2015, finished third in the Lyoness (Austrian)  Open, took second in the Omega European Masters and earned his first victory at the British Masters in October that year.

He went on the win another six European Tour titles, including the DP World Championship in 2016 and 2020. Last season he took second in the Italian Open and tied for fifth in the DP World Championship.

He made the European Ryder Cup team in 2016 and 2020 and  played on the Walker Cup team in 2013 when he posted a 3-1 record for the losing GB&I team.

Matt’s teammate, younger brother Alex, plays on the DP World Tour. He turned pro just last year. His best finishes were a 13^th at the Cazoo Open de France and a 15^th at the Portugal Masters.

He has played in only one other PGA Tour event, last year’s Valspar Championship that was won by Sam Burns, who will be playing in the Zurich Classic with Billy Horschel.

He played four years for Wake Forest and played in the Walker Cup for the Great Britain-Ireland team in 2019 and 2021. He was also selected for the Arnold Palmer Cup international team in 2020 and 2021 He was the fourth-ranked amateur in the world before he turned pro.

The 2023 Zurich Classic field includes defending champions Patrick Cantlay, ranked fourth in the world, and Xander Schauffele, ranked seventh. They join last year’s runner-up team of Horschel, ranked 24^th and Burns, who vaulted to 10^th after winning the WGC Dell Technologies Match Play Championship Sunday.

About Fore!Kids Foundation:

Since 1958, the Fore!Kids Foundation has raised money to fund children’s service organizations through golf events like the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, The Holiday Auction Fore!Kids and several charitable golf tournaments.

In 2022, the Fore!Kids Foundation generated an all-time record $2.7 million in charitable giving for children’s charities in the New Orleans and Baton Rouge metro areas. Charitable contributions have been rising in recent years:

• Over $2.7 Million to charities in 2022
• Over $10 Million to charities in last five years
• Over $45 Million to charities since inception

More information at http://www.forekidsfoundation.com.

About the Zurich Classic of New Orleans:

The Zurich Classic is the only team tournament on the PGA TOUR season. Since launching the team format in 2017, the Zurich Classic of New Orleans has drawn some of the highest-ranking fields for any regular-season tournament on the PGA TOUR.

The Best of the Zurich Classic pass will return in 2023, along with the excitement of close-up action at the Stadium Club by Walk-On’s overlooking the 17^th hole.

Televised in more than 224 countries and territories, the Zurich Classic of New Orleans generates a significant economic impact on the city of New Orleans and the entire state of Louisiana. Independent research has shown that the tournament generates spending of more than $40 million within the local economy and garners $33 million in positive national and international media exposure for both the city and state throughout the year beyond the four days of competition.

The tournament will be played April 17-23, 2023, at TPC Louisiana in Avondale. Purse for 2023 totals a record $8.6 million, with each member of the winning team earning   $1,242,700.

All tickets to the 2023 Zurich Classic will be mobile entry only. Day-specific grounds tickets are only $40.  In addition, the Best of the Zurich Class Pass offers a variety of dishes from some of New Orleans most famous restaurants at three locations across the TPC course starting at $175 per day, and the Stadium Club by Walk-On’s will offer close-up viewing at the 17^th hole. Additional ticket options are available by calling the Tournament Office at 504-342-3000 or online at www.zurichgolfclassic.com.