Alex Fitzpatrick is ready to go deep in his first FedEx Cup playoffs run

Alex Fitzpatrick has earned the mantle of the PGA Tour’s hottest rookie, thanks to a win at the Zurich Classic alongside his big brother Matt, and five other top-10 finishes in 2026 (not to mention a win on the DP World Tour). Dylan Dethier caught up with Alex at June’s Traveler’s Championship, where the 27-year-old was flying high, despite the grind of it all.

Dylan Dethier: Nine weeks ago, you didn’t have a PGA Tour card. Since then you’ve become a Tour winner [at the Zurich Classic team event with brother Matt], earned a multiyear exemption, finished top 10 in all three of your Signature Event starts, played in two majors and changed your entire career standing. First of all, are you exhausted?

Alex Fitzpatrick: [Laughing] I would say yes, maybe a little bit, but I wouldn’t say physically — I would say more mentally. Some of these weeks are fairly taxing; Muirfield Village, Jack’s place, is incredibly challenging; playing the U.S. Open at Shinnecock was really hard. Having to focus for a long period of time for those weeks and then moving on to the next can be tough. So I’m excited for a break, but, really, I am just trying to enjoy it.

DD: You’ve shown a lot of gratitude and joy throughout the entire process. I’m curious — if you could go back six months or a year, what would that guy think of where you are now in the world ranking and with your playing status?

AF: I’ll be honest, I think if I told that guy where I would be in six months or a year’s time, he’d probably call me a bit of a bulls—-er. I don’t think he would believe where I’ve got to and how quickly it’s happened. This game can change so fast; I was close to losing my DP World Tour card last year. I managed to play some good golf and kept it. But then, for this to all happen so fast, it’s really hard to wrap your head around.

DD: The DP World Tour gives out 10 PGA Tour cards at the end of each season. Did you have a preseason goal of getting one of them? Was getting a PGA Tour card by winning the Zurich ever on your radar?

AF: It’s a funny question because, yeah, those 10 cards were always on my mind. I felt like I’d been playing really good golf, so I felt confident that I could get one. That meant me and my team and my family were all thinking about the decision to play Zurich. For a while, even my brother wasn’t sure about playing. I remember sending my dad a text at one point saying, Hey, I actually might go to China that week to get some more DP World Tour points. Obviously, looking back now, I’m definitely glad I didn’t.

DD: That’s incredible.

AF: Yeah, it was the best decision I’ve ever made. It seems like in golf you get these chances, and if you can jump on them there’s a big payoff.

DD: In alternate shot that Sunday at the Zurich, on the 18th hole, your brother hit an epic bunker shot to a foot. Suddenly, for the win and your PGA Tour card, you had to make a 12-inch putt. Now that you’ve made it I can safely ask: Could you have missed it?

AF: I’d like to say no, I can’t miss that putt. But it wasn’t six inches, it was a solid foot, so, in the back of your mind, it’s like, Please, just let this go in. But I don’t think it was the nerves of missing the putt that hit me; it was more that I was suddenly so overwhelmed with what had just happened. Like, my brother just hit it to a foot and all I have to do is tap it in to change my life? I don’t think words can explain how crazy that felt.

DD: You joined the Tour at an interesting part of the season — the busiest stretch of majors and Signature Events, back-to-back- to-back. Clearly, your game was ready: a T9 at the Cadillac Championship, fourth at the Truist, T6 at Memorial, top 25 at the U.S. Open. How were you so prepared?

AF: I don’t entirely know. I think deep down I have always had the self-belief that I would get where I want to be: with the best in the world. But I didn’t necessarily think it would happen in such a short amount of time. I mean, I made some changes at the end of last year from a coaching standpoint, made a few tweaks in my swing, and those showed up at the right time. But also the pressure of the Zurich — coming down the stretch and managing that really helped me feel ready to go out and compete over the next five, six weeks. It’s been nice not just to have one week I played well but to play well for an extended period of time. I hope that’s the new normal.

DD: You’ve been working with swing coach Mike Walker, and Matt’s now working with a familiar face to you: Mark Blackburn. Walk me through the backstory.

AF: It’s a bit of a story, isn’t it? Mike had coached my brother since he was probably 13 or 14 or something. But [recently] Mike had to spend more time at home [in England], which meant he couldn’t spend more time with Matt [in the States]. My coach, Mark Blackburn, was in the States, but I was in Europe. So we basically did a switcheroo, where I started seeing Mike and Matt started seeing Mark, and it seems to have paid off, which is funny.

DD: What do you want people to know about you, now that you’re on the scene all the time, now that you’re so much more than the brother of a U.S. Open champion?

AF: I would just hope they see me as a normal kid from a normal family; someone lucky to have a great upbringing with great people around me; someone who enjoys sport and enjoys competing; and [grinning] someone who’s friendlier and more bubbly than my brother.

DD: How are you similar or different from your brother?

AF: I find it hard to explain, but Matt is very happy, like, within himself, by himself. He loves diving into every detail of golf, and he doesn’t have an off switch when it comes to working on stuff. For me, I love playing golf, but time off is good for me too, because I get to be a normal person, go out with friends, do stuff that’s fun. I have this off switch more than he does. That’s probably the biggest thing.

DD: From the outside, I think there’s this impression that, because you’re brothers, you guys have been hanging out your entire lives. But was it actually like that? I mean, Matt was a pro golfer before you’d left high school. You guys have played completely different tours. Are you now seeing each other more than you ever have?

AF: Completely. In all honesty, I don’t think I’ve spent this kind of extended period of time with him since I was 10 or 11. He was traveling to golf tournaments, I was at school; he played the European Tour, I went to college [at Wake Forest]. I didn’t see him much at all. Maybe a birthday, Christmas, some sort of holiday. But it’s weird — it’s almost like I grew up not speaking to him all that much, not knowing that much about him as we got older, and you’re not as close as you want. And [laughing] now it’s every week and I can’t get rid of him!

DD: Once you get to know him, I hope you like him.

AF: No, he’s great. He’s the best. Getting to spend so much time with him and getting to be close to him and talk to him about all these things in person, it’s so nice.

DD: Have you spoken to the Højgaards at all about who the best golfing brothers are in the sport?

AF: Wow, we have not, but I’d love to hear who people think are the best. It’s amazing to have these sets of brothers
who have played the PGA Tour recently: the Molinaris [Edoardo and Francesco], the Coodys [Pierceson and Parker], the Højgaards [Rasmus and Nicolai] and I’m sure some others.

DD: You said recently that you don’t live anywhere. Is that still true? Do you have a home? Are you thinking of getting one?

AF: My plan is to move to Florida. I love it down there, I’d like to be close to my brother, and I’m a member at a place called Dye Preserve, which is amazing. So that’s the plan. But, at the moment, I’m still living out of a suitcase, so that’s been fun.

DD: And how does the PGA Tour compare to your expectations? Anything surprising compared to all your other career stops?

AF: I think it’s everything that I expected and more. As a kid, I dreamed of being on the PGA Tour, playing against the best in the world. And for that to be a reality now is amazing — hitting balls next to Rory, Scottie, whoever. So I do pinch myself sometimes about where I am and how lucky I am to be here.

DD: And have you had to adjust your goals?

AF: It’s funny, the goalposts are always moving. My goal was the top 10 on the DP World Tour to get a card. Suddenly we win. The goalpost becomes top 50 on the FedEx Cup, and then you do well enough where you might get that and suddenly it’s top 30. They’re just constantly changing. So the big thing for me is that, at the end of the year, if I can look back and I’ve tried my hardest and done my best, it’s all I can ask for. But, yeah, top 30 in the FedEx Cup is where I’m off to now.

DD: Do you love golf ? And if so, what’s your favorite part?

AF: If you ask my mum and dad, they’d say I get angriest on the golf course. But I do, I love so many things about it. I love competing, I love the creativity of it, I love being around these amazing players and in these tournaments that have so much history. But, of course, I do still prefer football. [Editor’s note: That’s soccer.] This isn’t work. It’s not real life. It’s so nice to be able to do this as a job.