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Matt Fitzpatrick continued to have some fun after his RBC Heritage win when he teamed up with his brother Alex to come within just a shot of the lead at the Zurich Classic in New Orleans.
The US Open champion and his younger brother, who required a sponsor’s invite to play in the tournament, each made five birdies in the first round of foursomes.
Their 10-under-par 62 start leaves them a stroke behind Wyndham Clark and Beau Hossler, who were joined at the top of the leaderboard by Sean O’Hair and Brandon Matthews.
After his win at Hilton Head on Sunday, Matt Fitzpatrick said it was a no-brainer to pair up with his brother, who turned pro last year and plays primarily on the Challenge Tour in Europe.
“It was about as much fun as I’ve had on the golf course in, well, about four days, to be fair,” he said. “He played great on the back nine and bailed me out a couple of times.
“Obviously this was an opportunity to play with my brother and you don’t know how many of those you’re going to have. He was always one that I was looking for to try and play.”
In addition to the £1 million jackpot for each player, victory here would earn Alex a two-year exemption on the PGA Tour.
The duo are tied with four other teams, with fellow Englishman Aaron Rai continuing his fine form from Hilton Head alongside American David Lipsky.
European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald and Edoardo Molinari were two more shots behind from the second round in the more challenging foursome format.
In the first women’s major of the season, England’s Georgia Hall got off to a solid start on day one of the Chevron Championships in Texas, finishing tied for ninth at two-under par.
Hall hit four birdies and two bogeys to finish three shots behind Taiwan’s leader Peiyun Chien.
