Matt Fitzpatrick having fun with his brother in New Orleans

Matt Fitzpatrick continued to have fun after his RBC Heritage win as he teamed up with brother Alex to be just a shot away from the lead at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.

The US Open champion and his younger brother, who needed a sponsor’s invitation to compete in the tournament, each birdied five in the opening round of the foursome.

Her first 10-under-par 62 leaves her a shot behind Wyndham Clark and Beau Hossler, who were joined by Sean O’Hair and Brandon Matthews at the top of the leaderboard.

After his win at Hilton Head on Sunday, Matt Fitzpatrick said it was a no-brainer to join forces with his brother, who turned pro last year and mainly plays on the Challenge Tour in Europe.

“It was as much fun as I’ve had on the golf course for about four days to be fair,” he said. “He played great on the back nine and saved me a few times.

“Obviously this was an opportunity to play with my brother and you don’t know how many of those you’re going to get. It was always one I wanted to try and play.”

As well as the top prize of £1million for each player, a win here would earn Alex a two-year exemption from the PGA Tour

The duo are level with four other teams, with fellow Englishman Aaron Rai continuing his fine form from Hilton Head alongside American David Lipsky.

European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald and Edoardo Molinari were two strokes ahead of round two in the more challenging foursome format.

In the first women’s major of the season, England’s Georgia Hall made a solid start to day one of the Chevron Championship in Texas, ending it in ninth place with a two-under win.

Hall hit four birdies and two bogeys to finish three shots behind leader Peiyun Chien of Taiwan.