Matt and Alex Fitzpatrick stayed bogey-free and eagled the par-5 7th to post a third-round 57 in Four-ball after opening with a 7-under 29 and closing with an 8-under 28. They take the lead by four shots at 30-under, one shy of the largest 54-hole Zurich Classic of New Orleans lead (5: Patrick Cantlay/Xander Schauffele/2022).

57 sets a tournament-low 18-hole score in the Four-Ball format since 2017 (previous: 58; most recent: 2026/Springer/Smalley/R1). 186 sets the 54-hole Zurich Classic record by one (previous: 187/Patrick Cantlay/Xander Schauffele/2022).

“I didn’t really do much the first nine holes,” said Alex. “I just kind of just let him do his thing. Yeah, it was pretty cool to watch. You know, playing alongside my brother, who happens also to be one of the best players in the world is pretty fun. When he’s playing well, it’s pretty cool to watch.

“An amazing day,” added Alex. “Amazing day. Probably not kind of sunk in how well we played today, if I’m honest. Yeah, it was just hole after hole. The score, I only just realized we finished with five in a row. You know, you kind of are thinking about the next shot, so you’re not really thinking about that.”

A win on Sunday would mark the fifth career PGA Tour victory for Matt in his 186th start (2022 US Open, 2023 and 2026 RBC Heritage, 2026 Valspar Championship) and he would become the first player in over two years to win in back-to-back events (Scottie Scheffler: 2024 Masters Tournament/2024 RBC Heritage). The last to win in back-to-back starts on Tour was Scottie Scheffler: 2025 Procore Championship/2026 American Express).

A win would mark the first PGA Tour title for Alex in his 11th career start. He would earn a PGA Tour card through 2028 and exemptions into the 2026 PGA Championship, 2026 Cadillac Championship, 2026 Truist Championship, 2026 Memorial Tournamenty, 2026 Travelers Championship and 2027 Players Championship.

Matt and Alex are making their fourth tournament appearance as a team (T19/2023, T11/2024, MC/2025) and would become the first brothers and family members to win the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.

Matt is making his 11th start on Tour this season, highlighted by two victories including last week at the RBC Heritage and Alex secured his first win on the DP World Tour at the Hero Indian Open just one week after Matt’s victory at the Valspar Championship.

Davis Thompson and Austin Eckroat sit in T2 four shots behind the leaders having shot 61 featuring an eagle at the par-5 7th and one bogey. Thompson seeks a second a Tour title (2024 John Deere Classic) and Eckroat is in search of his third victory (2024 Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches, 2024 World Wide Technology Championship). Both are currently projected to earn spots in to next week’s Cadillac Championship via the Aon Swing 5.

18- and 36-hole leaders Alex Smalley and Hayden Springer moved down into T2 following a 62 having made one bogey.

Doug Ghim and Jeffrey Kang shot a bogey-free 61 to move into fourth place at 25-under.

Zurich Classic of New Orleans format

This is the ninth year the Zurich Classic will be played in a two-man team format, which was introduced in 2017 (canceled in 2020 due to COVID-19). Teams play Four-Ball in the first and third rounds, and Foursomes (alternate shot) in the second and final rounds. Each player on the winning team will receive 400 FedExCup points, $1,372,750 and a two-year exemption on the PGA Tour (through 2028).

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