Matt Fitzpatrick having fun with his brother in New Orleans

Brothers finish first round one stroke off the lead in pairs tournament.

Matt Fitzpatrick continued having fun after his RBC Heritage victory as he teamed up with brother Alex to sit just one shot off the lead in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.

The US Open champion and his younger brother, who needed a sponsor’s invitation to play in the tournament, made five birdies apiece in the opening round of fourball.

Their opening 10-under-par 62 leaves them a stroke behind Wyndham Clark and Beau Hossler, who were joined at the top of the leaderboard by Sean O’Hair and Brandon Matthews.

After his win at Hilton Head on Sunday, Matt Fitzpatrick said it was a no-brainer to pair up with his brother who turned pro last year and plays mainly on the Challenge Tour in Europe.

Zurich Classic Golf — Matt Fitzpatrick, left, lines up a shot with his brother Alex Fitzpatrick, both of England, on the ninth green during the first round of the PGA Zurich Classic golf tournament at TPC Louisiana in Avondale, La., Thursday, April 20, 2023. (Gerald Herbert, AP Photo)

“Obviously this was an opportunity to play with my brother and you don’t know how many of those you’re going to get. It was always one I was looking to try and play.”

As well as the £1million top prize for each player, victory here would earn Alex a two-year exemption on the PGA Tour

RBC Heritage Golf — Aaron Rai is currently tied in third place with his teammate David Lipsky. (Stephen B. Morton, AP Photo)

European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald and Edoardo Molinari were two shots further back ahead of the second round in the more challenging foursomes format.

In the first women’s major of the season, England’s Georgia Hall made a solid start to the first day of the Chevron Championship in Texas, finishing tied ninth with two-under.

Hall hit four birdies and two bogeys to finish three strokes behind the leader Peiyun Chien from Taiwan.