Matt Fitzpatrick will collect a check, but really, Alex Fitzpatrick will emerge from this week’s Zurich Classic as the winner.
You needed only to watch the scene on the 18th green on Sunday evening at the Zurich Classic to know that was true. It was there, on the 18th, that the Fitzpatrick Brothers emerged victorious after a glorious mid-range sand-shot from elder brother (and U.S. Open champ) Matt. And it was there, on the 18th, that Alex realized the fulfillment of his greatest life dream.
“Yeah, I’m still lost for words,” Alex Fitzpatrick said afterward, still gobsmacked. “Just an overwhelming emotion of happiness. Like Matt said, at the start of the week it was coming here to be a family and spend time with each other, eat Mr. B’s, and have a great week. To be sitting here now and done what we did, yeah, I’m pretty speechless.”
If you wanted to know why Alex Fitzpatrick was speechless, the trophy celebration didn’t provide all the answers. You see, his win was bigger than just a title at a PGA Tour event, and bigger than a winner’s check. By winning at the Zurich, the younger Fitzpatrick also clinched a series of career-altering perks, which we list in their entirety below.
What Alex Fitzpatrick really won at the Zurich Classic
1. A PGA Tour card
The biggest and most significant benefit of Alex Fitzpatrick’s victory is PGA Tour status. By virtue of a winner’s exemption, Alex earned full PGA Tour status through the end of 2028, giving him the rarest gift in pro golf — job security — for the next 18 months.
2. A PGA Championship invite
Hopefully Alex hadn’t planned out his spring break for the second week in May, because those plans went up in smoke the second his final putt hit the bottom of the cup. Fitzpatrick earned an invite into the PGA Championship at Aronimink with his win, giving him his second career major championship start, following only the 2023 Open Championship.
3. A Players Championship invite
Thanks to his victory on Sunday, Fitzpatrick will also play in the PGA Tour’s flagship event next March at TPC Sawgrass.
4. Signature Events!
If you’re a player with $3 million in career earnings and you’re hoping to multiply your bank account, the Tour’s $20 million Signature Events series is a pretty good place to start. Fitzpatrick will have the chance to do exactly that over the coming months thanks to the Signature Events invites he received on Sunday evening. Fitzpatrick will spend the rest of his 2026 teeing up in some of the most lucrative events in golf, including the Cadillac Championship, Truist Championship, Memorial Tournament and Travelers Championship.
5. $1,375,000
Fitzpatrick’s win wasn’t just about money, but it was a little bit about money. He’d won $3 million in his career as a pro prior to Sunday’s victory, and he won nearly half of that total on Sunday evening, adding $1.375 million to his career earnings with the win.