It turns out Rory McIlroy had the same reaction as everyone else when witnessing Matt Fitzpatrick’s moment of magic.
Matt and his younger brother Alex took out the Zurich Classic at TPC Louisiana on Sunday, winning the pairs tournament by one stroke.
3
The Fitzpatrick brothers made PGA Tour history in New OrleansCredit: Getty
It was a monumental victory given the English duo became the first set of brothers to win a PGA Tour event together.
The Fitzpatrick brothers also pocketed a cool £1million each, but for Alex, there was an even greater reward on the line for victory in New Orleans.
Thanks to the win, Alex now boasts a two-year exemption on the PGA Tour.
Perhaps the 27-year-old will use some of his newfound riches to thank Matt given it was a heroic bunker shot that put them on the path to victory.
Read more golf news
On the par-five 18th and the brothers needing a birdie to win, there was immense pressure on Matt’s shoulders.
Matt FitzMagic
But the elder sibling produced the shot of a lifetime.
Matt not only managed to get the ball up and down, but landed his effort in close proximity to the hole.
Even better, Matt somehow got the ball to trickle sideways towards the hole, leaving Alex with a short-range putt for victory and a PGA Tour card.
And the younger brother made no mistake with his putter, prompting an emotional embrace on the green with Matt.
Although much of the immediate chatter centred around Alex’s PGA Tour exemptions, few were able to shake the brilliance from Matt in the bunker, including McIlroy.
3
Both of the Fitzpatrick boys will be fixtures on the PGA Tour for the next two yearsCredit: Getty
So much so the two-time Masters champion felt compelled to fire off a congratulatory message to Matt straight away.
Rory reacts to Matt’s bunker work
In an all-access video shared by the PGA Tour, the Fitzpatrick brothers are shown in the immediate aftermath of their win.
Alex asked his brother: “Is your phone blowing up as well as mine?”
Matt replied: “It’s Rory. ‘What a f****** bunker shot!'”
Although he witnessed the shot live on the course, Alex was evidently still in disbelief at his brother’s work in the bunker.
“I just watched it,” Alex said having watched a replay of the bunker shot.
3
McIlroy watched on in awe as Fitzpatrick produced an all-time shot from the bunkerCredit: talkSPORT
“It’s one of the most disgusting bunker shots ever.”
Alex later added: “I just can’t get over that bunker shot. It was going sideways towards the hole.”
Read More on talkSPORT
Thanks to Matt’s bunker magic, Alex can now look forward to his first major appearance in The Open in 2023 as he will become part of the field at the PGA Championship, which begins on May 14.
But before the second major of the calendar tees off, Alex is set to take part in the Cadillac Championship, slated to get underway on April 30.