Together Again: Matt and Alex Fitzpatrick target the 2027 Ryder Cup

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Matt and Alex Fitzpatrick have already won together on the PGA Tour. Their next shared ambition is bigger: qualifying for Europe and playing alongside each other at the 2027 Ryder Cup at Adare Manor.

The brothers spoke openly about that goal before the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in Scotland. For Matt, a two-time Ryder Cup winner and U.S. Open champion, the prospect would be "as good as it gets". Alex called it the one achievement at the top of his list.

Those words would have sounded like a pleasant family dream a year ago. After their 2026 seasons, they sound like a credible sporting target.

From caddie and player to tournament winners

The Fitzpatrick story has always involved both brothers, even when only one of them was holding a club.

In 2013, a 14-year-old Alex carried the bag when 18-year-old Matt won the U.S. Amateur at The Country Club in Brookline. The USGA recorded how the younger brother became part caddie, part comic relief during the week. Nine years later, Matt returned to the same course and won the U.S. Open.

Alex followed his own route. He played college golf at Wake Forest, represented Great Britain and Ireland in two Walker Cups and turned professional in 2022. Comparisons with Matt were unavoidable, but his results gradually made the distinction clearer. He was not simply a major champion's younger brother. He was building a tour career of his own.

That career accelerated in 2026. Alex won his first DP World Tour title at the Hero Indian Open, one week after Matt won the Valspar Championship. Matt then added the RBC Heritage, beating Scottie Scheffler in a play-off.

The following week, the brothers arrived at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans as one of the strongest teams in the field.

The victory that changed Alex's career

The Zurich Classic is the only regular PGA Tour event played in a team format. Matt and Alex had entered together three times before, with a tie for 11th as their best result. This time, both were in form and both expected to contend.

They delivered. A birdie on the final hole secured a one-shot victory and made them the first pair of brothers to win a PGA Tour event as teammates. The result was emotional for the family, but it was also professionally decisive for Alex. The win gave him PGA Tour membership and access to a schedule he had been trying to reach on his own.

He did not waste the opportunity. According to the DP World Tour's account of their season, Alex recorded top-ten finishes in four Signature Events and reached the Tour Championship, where he finished fourth.

Matt's year has been even stronger. Victories at the Valspar Championship, RBC Heritage, Zurich Classic and FedEx Open de France brought his total to four for the season. He arrived in St Andrews inside the world's top five and with his Ryder Cup position already taking shape.

Why Adare Manor is now a realistic goal

Matt does not need to prove he belongs in a Ryder Cup. He has played four editions and was part of Europe's winning teams in 2023 and 2025. If his current form continues, he should be central to Luke Donald's plans again.

Alex still has work to do. The 2027 match is almost a year away and Europe's depth means one excellent season does not guarantee a place. Ludvig Åberg, Viktor Hovland, Tommy Fleetwood, Rory McIlroy, Robert MacIntyre and Matt himself form only part of a crowded group. Established players and emerging names will compete for six automatic places and six captain's picks.

Still, Alex is no longer watching from the outside. He joined Donald and a group of European candidates on a scouting trip to Adare Manor in September. He was one of four possible rookies invited, alongside Kristoffer Reitan, Eugenio Chacarra and Angel Ayora.

Seeing the course and spending time around recent Ryder Cup winners sharpened the ambition. Alex told the DP World Tour that making the team is the thing he wants most next year.

Would Europe actually pair them together?

Shared DNA is not a tactical argument, but proven chemistry matters in foursomes and four-balls. The Fitzpatricks have now played the Zurich Classic together four times, understand each other's routines and have shown they can close a tournament under pressure.

Their games could also fit. Matt's preparation is famously detailed and his iron play and putting have returned to an elite level. Alex has developed into a more aggressive scorer, with enough length and confidence to create birdie chances. A captain could use them in either format without needing an artificial family storyline to justify the pairing.

There is an obvious precedent. Edoardo and Francesco Molinari both played for Europe at Celtic Manor in 2010. The Italian brothers shared two matches and went on to win the World Cup together. A Fitzpatrick pairing at Adare Manor would belong to the same rare category.

None of that means Donald would promise them a match. Ryder Cup pairings depend on form, course fit and the balance of the full team. The first job for Alex is qualifying. Only then does the question of playing with Matt become real.

A family week at the home of golf

The Ryder Cup conversation has followed the Fitzpatricks to an appropriate event. The Alfred Dunhill Links Championship is part elite tournament and part family gathering.

Matt won the individual title in 2023 and also took the team competition with his mother, Sue. This year Sue is playing with Alex, while father Russell is partnered with Matt. The brothers are competing for the same professional title while sharing the week with the people who have followed both careers from Sheffield to the PGA Tour.

That setting explains why the Ryder Cup ambition feels natural rather than manufactured. Alex first helped Matt win from outside the ropes. Thirteen years later, they have won a PGA Tour title as equals. The next step is the hardest one, but after 2026 it can no longer be dismissed as only a family fantasy.

Read also: Alfred Dunhill Links 2026: field, prize money and tickets