Justin Rose was truly delighted to see Matt Fitzpatrick and his brother, Alex, triumph at the Zurich Classic on Sunday.
Rose was landing in America after flying from England when the Fitzpatrick brothers were finishing up at the Zurich Classic.
He missed the final hole after his WiFi cut out on the plane, but he caught up with the action when he landed in the United States.
And what Justin Rose saw from Matt Fitzpatrick and, of course, Alex, really impressed him.
Matt and Alex Fitzpatrick won the Zurich Classic after making a birdie on the final hole of the tournament.
It was Matt’s third win in his last four starts, while Alex Fitzpatrick has now secured a PGA Tour card through the 2028 season.
Justin Rose says Matt Fitzpatrick has hit the best shot of the 2026 season
Rose spoke to reporters ahead of this week’s Cadillac Championship in Miami.
The 2013 US Open champion responded when asked by reporters if he followed the Fitzpatricks’ win last week in New Orleans.
“Yeah, I was following,“ the Englishman said.
“Last week I was at home I was practicing a lot, trying to be with my family as much as I could. I wasn’t watching, but I was definitely watching on-line, I was watching it on my flight on Sunday — I flew over here on Sunday from London, and I was tracking exactly what happened.
“I seemed to lose Wi-Fi, as it always happens, when they’re on the 17th hole. I saw Matt hit the fairway on 18, and I’m like, okay, well that’s 260 yards into that green is what Alex had. And then my Wi-Fi went dead. So I was waiting for 30 minutes, like really, kind of really waiting, because it was obviously a very exciting finish and so much on the line.
“Obviously for Matt, probably a lot of pressure on behalf of his brother, and I’m sure that’s probably the most pressure that he probably felt in the last few weeks, even though he’s been winning a lot and playing such great golf.
“But the thought of getting his brother such an amazing leg up in his career I’m sure was a huge amount of pressure. That bunker shot that Matt hit I think probably has to go down as shot of the year so far in terms of everything that was on the line, what it means to everybody involved, the family dynamic and everything.
“So I was delighted for the lads. Obviously my coach Mark Blackburn coaches both of those guys, so I was very much keyed into the journeys that they have both been on, and what a great progression they have had in their games certainly this season. Yeah, I guess it’s been a good spring in the Fitzpatrick family, for sure.“
Matt Fitzpatrick took the risky option
The bunker shot that Matt Fitzpatrick hit on Sunday at TPC Louisiana was truly special.
Throwing the ball all the way to the back of the green was by far the riskier play.
The easier option would have been the chunk and run, but Fitzpatrick knew he could end the tournament there and then by striking his bunker shot as close to the ball as possible.
The chunk and run shot may have been the safer play, but he would have lost control of the release of the ball.
It’s fair to say that using the chunk and run method, Fitzpatrick would have struggled to get his ball inside six feet.
He took the brave option and he was rewarded with his fifth PGA Tour title as a result.
Matt Fitzpatrick also earned his younger brother a PGA Tour card in the process – pretty special, hey?
