An eagle at the 17th hole kept Alex Fitzpatrick from slipping over par in Thursday’s opening round of the BMW PGA Championship. The 27-year-old signed for an even-par 72 to keep his hopes alive. But on Friday at Wentworth, Fitzpatrick produced an even more remarkable escape to make it on the right side of the cut line.

“ALEX FITZPATRICK CHIPS IN TO MAKE THE CUT AT THE BMW PGA CHAMPIONSHIP 🤯,” DP World Tour wrote on X, alongside a clip of the shot.

The moment came at the 18th hole of the second round. Fitzpatrick’s second, 219-yarder, shot found the water, leaving him with little margin for error and just 22 yards remaining to the hole. As he prepared to take on the risky shot across the water hazard, the tension was palpable, and even the commentators’ voices betrayed their nerves.

“Oh, he’s put it in the water. This is his fourth shot. This needs to go in. You wouldn’t,” the commentator said.

Rather than settle for a costly bogey or worse, Fitzpatrick pulled off a sensational recovery, chipping in from the rough for a birdie four.

“Oh, you would! Well, well, well. It’s already been a special year for Alex Fitzpatrick, and there is another one for the 2026 highlights reel.”

That unlikely finish gave him a 2-under 70 for Day 2 and moved him to 2-under for the tournament with a T64 finish, enough to get him safely through to the weekend and make the cut.

“I think how much it means to him to make the cut here and get into the weekend.”

After pulling off the improbable hole-out, Fitzpatrick immediately high-fived his caddie Pete Blyfield in excitement before chest-bumping him in celebration. Meanwhile, the people gathered around the 18th, who had watched his final shot unfold in utter suspense, were treated to quite the finish. 

The 27-year-old tipped his cap to the crowd with a huge grin on his face as he walked off the green. After all, his entire second round had been something of a rollercoaster. The Englishman opened with a 36, one over par, after a mixed front nine that included a birdie on the fourth but bogeys on the sixth and eighth. 

The back nine was a completely different story, however, as he steadily clawed his way back with birdies on the 12th, 16th and 17th. Then, just when it appeared another dropped shot was waiting for him at the last, Fitzpatrick conjured up the shot of his round and perhaps one of the tournament’s most memorable moments so far.

And the incredible shot represents the 2026 season he has had. 

Alex Fitzpatrick went from DP World Tour hopeful to PGA Tour contender

For Fitzpatrick, the 2026 season has been a breakthrough year in every sense. The Englishman announced himself on the DP World Tour in March by claiming his maiden title at the Hero Indian Open. Starting the final round six shots off the lead, Fitzpatrick produced a stunning comeback to win by two strokes. 

Just a month later, he teamed up with his brother Matt Fitzpatrick to capture the Zurich Classic of New Orleans on the PGA Tour, setting the tone with a record 57 in four-ball and earning a multi-year Tour card in the process. Fitzpatrick wasted little time proving he belonged at the highest level. 

The 27-year-old followed with a T9 at the Cadillac Championship, a solo fourth at the Truist Championship, a T6 at the Memorial and a T7 at the Travelers Championship before recording a career-best T4 at the Tour Championship. He also added top-25 finishes at both the U.S. Open and Canadian Open. 

While his major results were modest and he endured a midseason lull, the bigger picture was impossible to ignore. Fitzpatrick earned more than $6 million on the PGA Tour, climbed into the world’s top 60, and closed the season with a T7 at the Irish Open. That said, the English golfer will be looking to replicate his performance in Moving Day.