HOYLAKE, England — Alex Fitzpatrick and his caddie, Connor Winstanley, on the 4th hole during day three of The Open at Royal Liverpool on July 22, 2023. | Photo by David Davies/PA Images via Getty Images
Alex Fitzpatrick, the younger brother of 2022 U.S. Open Champion Matthew Fitzpatrick, is in contention at The Open and thriving.
Alex Fitzpatrick made his major championship debut this week at Royal Liverpool and is thriving at The Open.
On Saturday, the Englishman shot a 6-under 65—one of the best rounds of the day—to shoot up the leaderboard 23 places into solo 10th.
“Super special round,” Fitzpatrick said afterward. “I’m not familiar with this environment and the amount of people out here, but my caddie and I had a great time out there… Yeah, just a bit lost for words, really.”
But he would not be here if not for his incredible shot in Final Qualifying.
Fitzpatrick holed a bunker shot from his knees to make it into The Open field, as the young Englishman is seizing his opportunity, sitting at 4-under through 54 holes.
The former Wake Forest Demon Deacon made three birdies on his front nine Saturday to go out in 3-under 32.
After stumbling at the challenging 11th hole, where he made a bogey, Fitzpatrick rallied to make three birdies over Royal Liverpool’s famous final four-hole stretch.
He has felt comfortable at Hoylake, located 90 miles west of his hometown of Sheffield, England.
It helps that his parents have followed him around Royal Liverpool, a rare occasion since Fitzpatrick primarily plays on the Challenege Tour—the European equivalent to the Korn Ferry Tour—while his brother Matt is a star on the PGA Tour.
“It’s difficult because they’ve been to so many events with [Matt],” younger brother Alex revealed. “He plays every major, every PGA Tour event each week. It’s difficult for my mom and dad to see me that often with Challenge Tour and all that stuff.”
But now Alex sits two shots ahead of his brother Matt after Saturday’s third round.
Yet, no animosity exists between the two brothers.
“No rivalry or anything like that. We’re brothers at the end of the day as much as we’re golfers,” Fitzpatrick revealed.
Photo by Tracy Wilcox/PGA TOUR via Getty Images
AVONDALE, La. -Matt Fitzpatrick with his brother, Alex, at the ninth green during the first round of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans at TPC Louisiana on April 20, 2023.
“I root for him; he roots for me. We’re both supporting each other and want what’s best for each other. If either shot level par, 1-over, 4-under, it doesn’t matter; I would’ve still been proud of him. Very grateful he shot a good round today, and it’ll be a nice dinner tonight, I’m sure.”
Funny enough, the one rivalry Fitzpatrick does have is with his girlfriend, Rachel Kuehn, a rising star in the female game who also played at Wake Forest.
“Lots of chipping competitions, lots of putting competitions. She claims she wins all the time, but she knows the truth,” Fitzpatrick joked. “But you know, she’s an amazing player. She has her own game, and she’s preparing for the Evian [Championship] next week.”
Jokes aside, Fitzpatrick is just happy to be at The Open, surrounded by family, friends, and the home English crowd.
Even though he is a major championship rookie, the younger Fitzpatrick looks like a seasoned veteran, thriving and smiling at every juncture of The Open.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko for more golf coverage. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough too.
