The Fitzpatrick bros achieve their dreams, Furyk’s captain sends a message, and the Scheffler-Korda comps grow

In a week in the golf world that felt destined to be forgotten, we managed to have a lot of things happen. Huge Ryder Cup news, Nelly Korda wins the first major of the year on the women’s side, and the Fitzpatrick brothers extend their magical run another week at the Zurich Classic.

In Friday’s news dump, reports surfaced that Jim Furyk had been re-appointed as the 2027 US Ryder Cup captain, understandably wracking many brains (including mine) starting over the weekend. The dust has settled, and while the decision to go with Furyk still feels asinine, there are many angles to look at this, and we’ll get to that below.

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Nelly was Nelly in Houston as she won the second Chevron Championship of her career. Now with three majors to his name – and back to being ranked No. 1 in the world – the Scottie Scheffler comparison has become even more terrifying.

Then the Fitzpatrick brothers were not only able to add drama to the final round of the Zurich Classic, which they should get some kind of medal for, but also brought a storybook ending of all storybook endings.

This is Par Talk, a weekly read to catch up on everything you need to know about what’s happening in professional golf during the week. You can follow Mark on X @itismarkharris and send an email to him mark.harris@outkick.com

The Fitzpatrick brothers live the movie

The Fitzpatrick brothers, Matt, a US Open champion and world No. 3 player, and Alex, who plays in Europe and is ranked 141 in the world, have been achieving their dreams on an unprecedented scale. Here’s a quick recap of their last five weeks:

March 22: Matt wins the Valspar Championship, his first victory on US soil since April 2023

March 29: Alex wins the Hero Indian Open on the DP World Tour

March 31: Matt and his wife, Katherine, announced that they are expecting their first child

April 19: Matt wins the RBC Heritage for World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler

April 26: The brothers pair up at the Zurich Classic, and win it by eliminating Hollywood

Alex Fitzpatrick, right, of England, reacts after sinking a birdie putt to win the tournament with his brother Matt Fitzpatrick, left, during the final round of the PGA Zurich Classic New Orleans golf tournament, Sunday, April 26, 2026, in Avondale, La. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton) (AP Photo/Matthew Hinto)

The PGA Tour giving winners a two-year exemption from Zurich goes against all that is holy and righteous within professional golf, but Sunday’s ending made things feel even worse.

Tied with two teams at 30-under playing the 72nd hole, Matt hit a perfect drive on the par 5. Alex didn’t seem to get all of his 9 wood from 230 yards out, with his shot finding the bottom of the green. This set the stage for older brother Matt to do something special for his younger brother, and he did.

Faced with a poor shot from 35 yards to the back pin where a miss is death, Matt proceeded to hit it to 14 inches. Alex went in for birdie, and his life officially changed instantly: a two-year PGA Tour exemption, a share of $2.75 million, and a spot in the PGA Championship next month. And all this was planned by his brother with a gun under the gun that these two will talk about for the rest of their time on Earth; it doesn’t get much better than that.

“I appreciate him so much, for everything he does for me. There are just a lot of little things that I’m sure he does that I don’t know he does for me,” Alex said of Matt following the win. “Yes, obviously I am very lucky to have him as my brother.

“I don’t think a lot of people would say, you know, one of the best players in the world is your brother, but then again, that’s what he did for me. Yeah, just love him a little bit. There’s not much to say.”

Any golfer who has a good relationship with his sibling on and off the course couldn’t watch Fitzpatrick’s hug on the 18th green, or read Alex’s comments, without feeling something deep in the soul.

Jim Furyk, who is the US taking to Ireland?

Tiger Woods wasn’t going to right the US Ryder Cup team’s many mistakes and reverse its years-long downward spiral by simply taking on the role of captain. The situation he put himself in is unfortunate, and it has put the PGA of America in a difficult position (again), but his presence alone in the role was not going to make the Americans as much of a force in the golf world as they expected them to be.

That’s especially true of the Ryder Cup across the pond, an event where the American team hasn’t come out on the right side of things since 1993.

Having said that, there may not have been a more ‘sacrificial lamb’ choice for the 2027 US Ryder Cup captain than Jim Furyk. Optics wise, it’s hard to come up with a less inspiring choice to lead the Americans into battle at Adare Manor than Furyk.

Jim Furyk tees off on the eighteenth green during the practice round of the Ryder Cup golf tournament at Bethpage Black in Bethpage, New York, on September 25, 2025. (Photos by Dennis Schneidler/Imagn)

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The PGA of America pipping the same man who captained the 2018 US Ryder Cup team that was humiliated in France, 17.5-10.5, is a little worrying, however for the brand.

The Europeans have long been operating at a completely different level than the Americans in the Ryder Cup, winning 11 of the last 15. Furyk finds another way after already failing to show PGA signals that he doesn’t know how to start trying to change things.

It also presents the stark assumption that the US will arrive at Adare Manor with expectations and the idea that they will lose. That thought is already on the mind of every real life golfer, but you can’t be the one that lives on the minds of the actual players and staff inside the US club room.

Now, while it’s easier and more justifiable to question and point out the unfairness associated with Furyk’s choice, he deserves credit for taking on the challenge.

No one knows how bad things went in France in 2018 than Furyk. He was also vice-captain of the American staff four times, including in 2025 when the Americans fell to the Europeans at Bethpage Black. We also cannot ignore the fact that he was 10-20-4 as a player in the Ryder Cup.

Vice captain Kevin Kisner and Jim Furyk of Team USA look on during practice ahead of the 2025 Ryder Cup on the Black Course at Bethpage State Park Golf Course on September 25, 2025 in Farmingdale, New York. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/PGA of America/PGA of America via Getty Images) (Maddie Meyer/PGA of America/PGA of America via Getty Images)

Furyk has earned many scars from this event, and for him to raise his hand to give another chance in a year when the Europeans will be heavy favorites is commendable. For all we know, other candidates with very few Ryder Cup injuries may have passed the challenge. For Furyk, 2027 will not only be a challenge, but an opportunity in a low-risk, but very high-reward scenario.

Personally, I thought Stewart Cink could have captained the US in ’27. If it weren’t for him, Brandt Snedeker nods, assuming he leads the US to victory in the Presidents Cup later this year, it would be a perfectly acceptable guide.

Nelly Korda Time – Scottie Scheffler

Korda went wire-to-wire at Memorial Park to win the Chevron by five shots, and now with two wins in 2026, he’s back to being the top-ranked player in the world.

His reign in Houston felt close to what we saw from him in 2024 when he won seven times, including six wins in less than five months. We may not see the same run that sure, but Korda was in his class for four days at Chevron and looks to be able to put together another memorable campaign.

Nelly Korda of the United States and caddy Jason McDede react after jumping into Poppie’s Pond after winning the 2026 Chevron Championship at Memorial Park Golf Course on April 26, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images) (Sarah Stier/Getty Images)

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Comparing the No. 1 on the men’s and women’s sides is not a new feat, but when you put Korda and Scheffler side by side, the similarities are striking.

Scheffler is 29 years old: 4 major championships, 20 PGA Tour wins, 81 Top 10 career finishes, 19 career missed cuts

Korda is 27 years old: 3 major tournaments, 17 LPGA Tour wins, 80 Top 10 career finishes, 19 career missed cuts

The two are Nike and TaylorMade athletes.

Scheffler and Korda will spend their entire careers being linked and compared to each other – it’s a natural thing to do at their same age and ranked number one in the world – but the fact that they are very close to being. indeed speed is another thing.

Now, it’s just a race to see who gets the next big title. Winning the US Open for Scheffler this year would give him the career grand slam.