Photo by Jan Kruger/R&A/R&A via Getty Images
As Open Championship qualifiers are decided, Matt Fitzpatrick’s brother, Alex, will be in the field as well after an a shot you’ve likely never seen.
Matt Fitzpatrick’s younger brother Alex qualified for the 2023 Open Championship at Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Hoylake later this month. But how he accomplished that feat is remarkable.
The former Wake Forest golfer was staring at a difficult bunker shot with little green to work with. But what was truly difficult was the placement of the ball in the sand.
The only way he could address the ball was to take the shot from his knees.
He qualified at the West Lancashire Golf Club in one of the five spots available. Alex Fitzpatrick outplayed Sergio Garcia and beat the legendary golfer into the field. He shot 70 and 65 to finish at 9-under and was two shots off low medalist Matt Wallace.
“This kid’s short game is so good,” Matt Fitzpatrick said in the tweet that featured the video.
The shot was impossible, but Alex Fitzpatrick made it. Was it technique or sheer luck? Regardless, it got the younger Fitzpatrick into the Open Championship field. No wonder he qualified with a short game like that.
If that angle wasn’t good enough, another person in attendance got a different look at the shot, showing how absolutely mindblowing it was.
What is it about a bunker and the Fitzpatrick brothers?
Last year Matt Fitzpatrick holed out from the bunker to win the U.S. Open at The Country Club, with Alex there to witness it. Now it was the younger Fitzpatrick’s turn to have his moment. This came at a special time for his family as Matt qualified 10 years ago to get into the Open Championship.
The Fitzpatrick duo played together at the Zurich Classic in New Orleans, where they finished T19.
