Zurich Classic of New Orleans: Matt Fitzpatrick and brother Alex post tournament-record 57 to take four-shot lead

Brothers Alex and Matt Fitzpatrick opened a four-stroke lead heading into the final round of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans after shooting a tournament-record better-ball third round of 57.

One stroke off the pace overnight, the 15-under-par round moved the English pair to 30 under, which overhauled halfway leaders Alex Smalley and Hayden Springer, who shot a 61, and fellow Americans Davis Thompson and Austin Eckroat.

The brothers combined for 13 birdies at TPC Louisiana - eight of them in the back nine - while Matt added an eagle at the par-five seventh.

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"Amazing day. Probably not kind of sunk in how well we played today, if I'm honest," Matt Fitzpatrick said. "It was just hole after hole.

"He played brilliant golf both last two days," Fitzpatrick said of his younger brother, who won the Indian Open last month. "His game has really turned a corner these last few months, and I believe in him to continue that trend."

"He's doing all the right things and obviously it was nice for him to have such a big impact there on the back nine."

If the Fitzpatrick brothers win the tournament, Matt would earn his fifth career PGA Tour title and would become the first player in over two years to win in back-to-back events (Scottie Scheffler: 2024 Masters Tournament/2024 RBC Heritage).

Alex would receive a two-year exemption on the PGA Tour through 2028, along with exemptions into the next four signature events, 2026 PGA Championship and the 2027 Players Championship.

Alex Smalley and Hayden Springer, who had a course record-tying 58 in better ball on Thursday that held up for all of 48 hours, shot 62 and dropped into a tie for second with Davis Thompson and Austin Eckroat.

Doug Ghim and Jeffrey Kang shot 61 to move into fourth, five shots back.

Zach Bauchou had the event's first hole-in-one since 2024 on the par-three third hole. He and Sam Stevens finished with a 64 and were eight shots behind.

Billy Horschel - the only player to win the Zurich as an individual and in the team format - shot a 64 with partner Tom Hoge. They were seven shots back.

Sunday's final round will see the teams revert to alternate shot.

How does the event work and what is the format?

The Zurich Classic is the lone team event on the PGA Tour calendar, with teams competing in a four-ball format during the first and third rounds. Each golfer will play their own ball, with the lowest score on each hole counting.

The second and final rounds move to a foursomes format, which will see players alternate shots using only one ball. The total strokes taken will result in the team's score for each hole, and players will alternate tee shots throughout the round.

After the first two rounds, the top 33 teams and ties will progress to the weekend. Should there be a draw after 72 holes, a sudden-death play-off will take place to establish the winning team.

What is the prize?

There is a lot at stake this week, with PGA Tour chiefs having raised the prize purse for The Zurich Classic from $9.2m (£6.83m) to $9.5m (£7.05m).

The winners will share a 14.45 per cent slice of that prize, which is expected to be around $1.372m (£1.02m).

Players from the winning team will also each receive 400 FedExCup points, but no OWGR points are available.

The champions will also gain entry to some of the biggest tournaments for the 2027 season, including The Players Championship and The PGA Championship. They will also receive an exemption to play at The Zurich Classic for the next two years.

(c) Sky Sports 2026: Zurich Classic of New Orleans: Matt Fitzpatrick and brother Alex post tournament-record 57 to take four-shot lead