Matt Fitzpatrick appears to make a dig at previous Ryder Cup captains

Matt Fitzpatrick appears to have made a dig directed towards his previous Ryder Cup captains while playing at the Zurich Classic this week on the PGA Tour.

Lara Kuipers

22 Apr 2023

Recent RBC Heritage winner Matt Fitzpatrick might've just made a dig at his previous Ryder Cup captains while speaking to the media this week at the PGA Tour's Zurich Classic of New Orleans.

Fitzpatrick, who's playing with his younger brother Alex this week in Louisiana, spoke to reporters following their first-round 10-under 62 in a four-ball format. The pair were tied for third, one stroke back of the leaders.

Alex, who turned professional last year, was asked how playing alongside his brother in the PGA Tour tournament stacked up in his career so far.

He said:

"I guess I've been professional about a year, and it couldn't be further away from anything else. I had so much fun out there. It was extra special spending time with him and being on the course, but playing together and working together is a lot of fun, and yeah, it helps a little bit when you have a good score."

Matt, the reigning U.S. Open champion and recent RBC Heritage winner after defeating Jordan Spieth in a three-hole playoff, was then asked the same question.

And, it appears, the 28-year-old might've just snuck in a subtle dig towards his past Ryder Cup captains:

"Yeah, it's right up there. It's as much fun as I've had on the golf course in, well, about four days, to be fair.

"No, it really is. It's just so different. We don't do this, obviously -- well, we've never done this, obviously. I think it's nice to play a bit of team golf. It's something different. I'm obviously not used to playing four-balls."

The elder Fitzpatrick has been a part of two previous European Ryder Cup teams. He played in 2016, and again at the most recent one in 2021. However, he wasn't selected to play during four-balls on either occasion.

In 2016, Darren Clarke was the European captain, while Padraig Harrington led the team in 2021. Both times, the European lost to the U.S., with the more recent occasion being historically bad for the European team.

The older Fitzpatrick is almost certainly a lock for the upcoming Ryder Cup in September, hosted in Italy, where he just might finally get a chance to play four-ball in a Ryder Cup setting.

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