012026 라이더컵에서 '형제 페어링' 꿈꾸는 피츠패트릭 가문
잉글랜드 출신의 형제 골퍼 매트 피츠패트릭과 알렉스 피츠패트릭이 오는 2026년 라이더컵에서 유럽 대표팀의 같은 조로 함께 출전하겠다는 포부를 밝혔다.
두 선수는 2026시즌 동안 꾸준히 뛰어난 성과를 거둬 대표팀 명단에 동시에 이름을 올리고, 나아가 라이더컵 경기에서 한 팀으로 호흡을 맞추는 페어링을 완성하겠다는 구상이다.
메이저 챔피언 출신인 형 매트 피츠패트릭과 투어 무대에서 입지를 넓혀가고 있는 동생 알렉스 피츠패트릭이 다가오는 대회들에서 포인트를 쌓아 '형제 동반 출전'이라는 목표를 이뤄낼 수 있을지 기대가 모인다.
02Original (English) — DP World Tour
Matt and Alex Fitzpatrick may both be enjoying the most successful years of their careers so far but the high-flying siblings believe they could top it all as a pair at next year's Ryder Cup.
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Matt won the U.S. Open in 2022 but that was his only victory that season, whereas in 2026 he has four wins including last week's FedEx Open de France, bringing him into the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship brimming with confidence.
Another one of those victories came alongside Alex at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, a win which gave the Hero Indian Open champion a PGA Tour card of which he took full advantage, finishing in the top ten at four Signature Events en route to a fourth-placed finish Tour Championship.
Alex's rise has seemingly put him on the Ryder Cup radar, with the 27-year-old being included in a trip to Adare Manor this month among with a host of players from 2023 and 2025 and three other potential rookies.
That creates the prospect of the Fitzpatricks joining Edoardo and Francesco Molinari as siblings to play together in the biennial spectacular, and it is a possibility of which neither of them are shying away.
"Couldn't get much better," said Matt. "I feel like I'm looking to achieve a lot in the game and I think that would be as good as it gets.
"Winning a PGA Tour event together, that's pretty high on the list but to be able to play Ryder Cup and to be able to have a chance at winning a Ryder Cup together would be, yeah, would be pretty incredible."
Alex added: "I haven't been fortunate enough to win a Major yet so I don't know how that felt but it's at the top of the list. Make a decent case for ourselves, yeah, it's definitely top of the list."
On the individual front, Matt's ambitions now turn to more Majors as he finds himself firmly positioned in the world's top five and arguably the form player on the planet.
And he has even cast his eye to the achievements of Ryder Cup team-mate Rory McIlroy, who last season completed the career Grand Slam by winning the Masters Tournament.
"If you ask anyone, Scottie's wanted to win all four Majors and Rory the same," he said. "I think the top players have that.
A day at the Old Course with the Fitzpatrick family 💙#DunhillLinks pic.twitter.com/rgDd18W70Q
"I think it's important to have that self-belief that you can do that too. It's nice to have the evidence in yourself and that you've hit the shots in moments and achieved those things.
"But to be able to do it, as well, is another thing. Yeah, I definitely think you've got to have that self-belief."
He added: "I have obviously lofty goals that I want to achieve in the game and I remember having a conversation a few years ago with my coach at the time, Mike Walker, about a certain number of top ten finishes in a season.
"He kind of asked me, 'what do you think is realistic?' and I gave this very high number, which I was kind of a little bit, not being silly, but kind of greedy, I guess, and I think he was a little taken aback by it and the following year, I managed to achieve it.
"So I have belief in myself when I'm playing well, and to have a year like I have done, obviously it's nice to match expectations for a change when I would say in golf, most of the time it doesn't necessarily live up to your expectations. Yeah, it's been a special year."
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For Alex, the next goal is more singular: make Luke Donald's team for Adare Manor.
"That's probably the one thing next year I want to do more than anything," he said. "I think having that experience (of the trip) makes you hungry to be on that team.
"That's the goal, just keep doing the same things I've been doing and hopefully that leads to being at Adare. We'll see."
The brothers will this week take on the Old Course at St Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns as the festival of links golf returns to Scotland.
Matt tasted a double victory in 2023, winning both the individual event and team honours with mum Sue and it will be a family affair once more in 2026.
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This time Sue plays with Alex while dad Russell teams up with Matt and the whole Fitzpatrick clan are getting into the spirit of one of the DP World Tour's marquee weeks.
"It's always a great week and to be a past winner as well is pretty cool," said Matt. "To win it with my mum as well was special.
"Being able to play such quality golf courses, historic golf courses that have held so many great championships, not only Dunhill but The Opens, as well. It's always an amazing week and to be able to play these golf courses with my family is really special."
Alex added: "It's definitely an interesting format. I think you're playing three amazing golf courses with a lot of history and I think playing with my mum will be a lot of fun. I know she's a champion here, so there's probably more pressure on me to do well.
"But the main thing is having fun this week and that's kind of my main goal and priority."
News
The DP World Tour has today announced that Aldar, the Abu Dhabi-based real estate development, investment and asset management company, will become the new Title Partner of the 2026 Abu Dhabi Championship, the first of two events in the season-ending DP World Tour Play-Offs.