GB and Ireland boy international Alex Fitzpatrick is following in his older brother’s footsteps. But not to the letter.
Fitzpatrick announced this week via Twitter that he has committed to play golf for Wake Forest University from August 2018. The  Sheffield-born Alex is the 18-year-old younger brother of Matt Fitzpatrick, who at 22 years old is already a three-time European Tour winner and a member of Europe’s 2016 Ryder Cup team.
The combination of facilities and coaches ultimately led the younger Fitzpatrick to choose the Winston-Salem, North Carolina university as  his college golf destination.
“I picked Wake because the facilities are unbelievable and will enable me to develop to the best potential that I can be during university,” Fitzpatrick told Golfweek.
“The coaches, (associate head) coach (Dan) Walters and (head) coach (Jerry) Haas, have been nothing but supporting through the decision and they are the nicest people I could meet and genuinely want the best for me and want me to improve.”
Fitzpatrick, 18, said he essentially chose between Wake Forest and Northwestern University.
One of the main factors that steered him toward the Demon Deacons was the milder North Carolina winter climate compared to the cold conditions the Wildcats can face in Evanston, Illinois.
“It was a very close decision between the two universities and the weather was also a factor (and) played a part in my decision,” Fitzpatrick said. “Both places are amazing, but Wake Forest was probably just better suited for me.”
If the mention of “Fitzpatrick” and “Northwestern” sounds familiar, there’s a reason. Matt Fitzpatrick attended Northwestern University, competing for the golf team in the fall of 2013 before shockingly withdrawing from the university after one quarter in order to purse a full-time amateur career.
Fitzpatrick, who was the top-ranked amateur in the world when he left the team after a half-season, turned pro in June 2014 and has not looked back.
Despite his hasty departure from the university, Fitzpatrick has continued to show support for Northwestern, currently No. 28 in the Golfweek/Sagarin rankings. Most recently, he outfitted his golf bag with logoing that promoted the school