AVONDALE, La. (AP) — Matt Fitzpatrick and his younger brother Alex shot a tournament-record 15-under 57 in better-ball play on Saturday, giving them a four-shot lead heading into the final round of the Zurich Classic.
“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.”
The Englishmen were at 30-under 186 through 54 holes — also a record at the PGA Tour's only team event.
Matt Fitzpatrick continued to deliver after arriving as arguably the hottest player in golf with two wins this spring, including last weekend at Harbour Town. The elder brother, ranked third in the world, highlighted his round with a chip-in birdie on the first hole and a 33 1/2-foot putt for eagle on the par-5 seventh.
His 210-yard approach with a 5-iron on No. 12 settled 4 feet from the hole, setting up a birdie that gave the Fitzpatricks a lead they maintained for the rest of the day.
Alex Fitzpatrick, who plays on the European tour, held up his end as he seeks his first PGA Tour title, which would give him an exemption through 2028 on the same tour as his more accomplished brother.
“He played brilliant golf both last two days. His game has really turned a corner these last few months, and I believe in him to continue that trend,” the elder Fitzpatrick said of his younger brother, who won the Indian Open last month. “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.”
Alex Fitzpatrick found the green on the par-4 eighth with a 325-yard tee shot to set up a birdie. He birdied the 16th with a short chip-in and the par-3 17th with an 18-foot putt. Alex reached the par-5 18th green in two to set up his team's eighth birdie of the back nine.
“For me, it feels like no matter what happens tomorrow, it’s going to be a great week regardless,” Alex said. “You know, just spending time with family that I don’t get to do very often is very, very nice. It makes it a little nicer that we’re playing good golf.”
The new low at the TPC Louisiana came after a pre-dawn thunderstorm that resulted in players being allowed to to lift, clean and place their golf balls in the fairway. The wind also died down as warm, humid air settled over the old-growth cypress swamp on which the course was built for much of the round before a breeze returned late in the day.
“I didn’t think we would have the score we have,” Alex Fitzpatrick said. “We’ve definitely exceeded our expectations for today.”
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-3 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 heading into Sunday.
AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
Matt Fitzpatrick, of England, tees off on the first hole during the first round of the PGA Zurich Classic golf tournament, Thursday, April 23, 2026, in Avondale, La. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)
Alex Fitzpatrick, of England, tees off on the first hole during the first round of the PGA Zurich Classic golf tournament, Thursday, April 23, 2026, in Avondale, La. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)
Donald Trump's expected attendance at Saturday's annual White House Correspondents' Association dinner in Washington for his first time as president will put his administration's often-contentious relationship with the press on full public display.
Trump will be watched closely at the event held by the organization of reporters who cover him and his administration. Past presidents who have attended have generally spoken about the importance of free speech and the First Amendment, adding in some light roasts about individual journalists.
The Republican president did not attend during his first term or the first year of his second. He came as a guest in 2011, sitting in the audience as President Barack Obama, a Democrat, made some jokes about the New York real estate developer. Trump also attended as a private citizen in 2015.
Past dinners have also featured comedians who poke at presidents. This year, the group opted to hire mentalist Oz Pearlman as the featured entertainment.
Trump’s planned appearance is rekindling a longer running debate about the dinner and events like it — in particular, whether it is poor form for journalists to be seen socializing with the people they cover. The New York Times, for example, stopped attending the dinner more than a decade ago for that reason.
“What was once (a fairly long time ago) a well-intended night of fundraising and camaraderie among professional adversaries is now simply a bad look,” wrote Kelly McBride, ethics expert at the Poynter Institute, a journalism think tank.
Between berating individual reporters, fighting organizations like the Times, The Wall Street Journal and The Associated Press in court and restricting press access to the Pentagon, the administration’s animus toward journalists has been a fixture of Trump’s second term.
On the eve of the dinner, nearly 500 retired journalists signed a petition calling on the association "to forcefully demonstrate opposition to President Trump’s efforts to trample freedom of the press.”
“The White House Correspondents’ dinner reinforces the importance of the First Amendment in our democracy," said the WHCA president, Weijia Jiang, a CBS News reporter. "As we mark America’s 250th birthday, our choice to gather as journalists, newsmakers and the president in the same room is a reminder of what a free press means to this country and why it must endure. Not for the media or the president, but for the people who depend on it.”
Veteran reporter Manu Raju of CNN, as he entered the Washington Hilton for the dinner, said it was not his role to express his opinion on Trump's relationship with the press. “I'm not an activist,” he said. “My job is not to protest.”
A few dozen protesters stood across the hotel. One was dressed in a prison uniform, wearing a Pete Hegseth mask and red gloves. Another carried a sign saying “Journalism is dead.”
Many reporters who attend consider it a valuable opportunity to get story ideas and establish personal connections with those in government, one that may pay dividends with returned telephone calls in the future.
Journalists often invite sources as guests at the dinner. It will be noticed Saturday whether administration officials who have also expressed hostility to the press will attend, and with whom they will be sitting. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said he was invited by the New York Post; Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and Secretary of State Marco Rubio were NBC guests.
The Associated Press invited a former Trump official that it sued last year. Taylor Budowich, a former White House deputy chief of staff who crafted communications policy, was a named defendant last year when the AP sued the administration after it reduced its access to the president because the news outlet did not follow Trump's lead in renaming the Gulf of Mexico.
“We maintain professional relationships with people across the political spectrum because we are nonpartisan by design — focused on reporting the facts in the public's interest,” AP spokesman Patrick Maks said.
The White House correspondents will also hand out awards for exemplary reporting. That includes some stories that displeased Trump, such as one from the Journal about a birthday message Trump once sent to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The story led to a presidential lawsuit.
AP correspondent Sagar Meghani in Washington contributed to this report. David Bauder writes about the intersection of media and entertainment for The Associated Press. Follow him at http://x.com/dbauder and https://bsky.app/profile/dbauder.bsky.social.
President Donald Trump arrives on Air Force One at Palm Beach International Airport in West Palm Beach Fla., Friday, April 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
