Matt Fitzpatrick secured a dramatic victory at the RBC Heritage, defeating world number one Scottie Scheffler in a playoff. After a dropped shot on the 18th hole cost him a one-stroke lead in regulation, Fitzpatrick responded with a remarkable shot on the same hole during the playoff, sealing his win.
From 204 yards out on the first playoff hole, Fitzpatrick executed an exceptional 4-iron approach, landing his ball just 13 feet, 4 inches from the flagstick. Scheffler’s subsequent approach fell short of the green, leaving him 37 yards away.
Scheffler managed to chip his ball to within 8½ feet, but Fitzpatrick then sank a curling birdie putt from left to right to claim the title over the top-ranked golfer.
“To hit the 4-iron that I hit there was out of this world,” Fitzpatrick commented, reflecting on his second RBC Heritage playoff win, having previously triumphed in 2023 against Jordan Spieth. The victory propelled him from seventh to third in the Official World Golf Ranking.
“To win it twice means the world. To go out today and go toe-to-toe with Scottie and get over the line there on the 73rd hole is special,” he added.
This marks the 31-year-old Englishman’s fourth career PGA Tour victory and his second of the current season. He previously won the Valspar Championship last month, following a second-place finish at The Players Championship.
“I definitely have high confidence right now for sure,” said Fitzpatrick, who earned $3.6 million from the Signature event. “The ball is obviously going where I intend it to go.
“I know there’s things that I can still improve in certain areas. So that’s obviously exciting, given the results I’ve achieved so far and what’s to come.”
Scheffler’s Strong Weekend Performance
Fitzpatrick posted scores of 65-63-68-70 for a total of 18-under par on the par-71 Harbour Town Golf Links course in Hilton Head, S.C.
Scheffler, who trailed Fitzpatrick by seven shots after the opening rounds of 68-67, mounted a strong comeback with weekend rounds of 64-67. This runner-up finish marks his second consecutive, having narrowly missed out on victory at The Masters the previous week to Rory McIlroy.
“I think in both weeks I put myself behind the eight-ball going into the weekend and had really nice Saturdays and Sundays in order to get myself into contention,” Scheffler stated. “On Sunday it’s a shot here or there that makes a difference.
“This was one of those weeks where anytime Fitzy needed something to happen, he made something happen. He definitely earned the win, and he just played great golf.”
Fitzpatrick Holds Off Scheffler’s Charge
Entering the final round with a three-shot lead over Scheffler, Fitzpatrick birdied two of the first three holes, then maintained his lead with 14 consecutive pars before bogeying the final hole. His playing partner, Scheffler, made birdies on the 15th and 16th holes, narrowing the gap to just one shot.
In regulation play, both players missed the 18th green. Scheffler saved par with a chip from 70 feet to within 18 inches. Fitzpatrick, chipping from 69 feet, landed 22 feet short of the hole and missed the crucial putt that would have secured his victory.
His subsequent 4-iron approach in the playoff proved decisive, overturning the expected outcome of fan favorite Scheffler winning his second RBC Heritage.
“I knew Scottie was going to make some birdies down the stretch,” Fitzpatrick admitted, “and I kind of had to hang in there a little bit.”
While Fitzpatrick and Scheffler battled for the top spot, Si Woo Kim finished in third place, two strokes behind, after a final-round 68. Collin Morikawa (67), Harris English (69), and Ludvig Åberg (70) tied for fourth at 13-under par.
Fitzpatrick Eager for Zurich Classic Team Event
Fitzpatrick is set to compete alongside his brother, Alex, in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. Both brothers have achieved victories this season, with Alex winning the DP World Tour’s Hero Indian Open three weeks prior.
The field includes defending champions Ben Griffin and Andrew Novak, as well as the formidable pairing of Brooks Koepka and Shane Lowry. The tournament format features four-ball (best ball) on Thursday, followed by foursomes (alternate shot) on Friday. After the cut, the leading 33 teams and ties will play four-ball on Saturday and foursomes on Sunday.
English Translation:
Matt Fitzpatrick secured a dramatic victory at the RBC Heritage, defeating world number one Scottie Scheffler in a playoff. After failing to get up and down for par and a one-shot victory on the 18th hole, Matt Fitzpatrick hit one of the best shots of his life on the same hole to win a playoff with Scottie Scheffler.
Standing 204 yards from the hole on the first playoff hole’s 18th fairway, Fitzpatrick hit a 4-iron at the flagstick that stopped 13 feet, 4 inches away.
After Scheffler, whose approach came up 37 yards short of the green, pitched to 8½ feet, Fitzpatrick rolled in the left-to-right-breaking birdie putt to defeat the world’s No. 1 golfer and win the RBC Heritage.
“To hit the 4-iron that I hit there was out of this world,” said Fitzpatrick, who had won the tournament in 2023 in a playoff with Jordan Spieth and moved from seventh to third in the Official World Golf Ranking.
“To win it twice means the world. To go out today and go toe-to-toe with Scottie and get over the line there on the 73rd hole is special.”
It was the fourth career victory for Fitzpatrick, 31, and his second win of the season. He won the Valspar Championship last month after finishing second in The Players Championship the week before.
“I definitely have high confidence right now for sure,” said the Englishman, who earned $3.6 million for the Signature event win. “The ball is obviously going where I intend it to go.
“I know there’s things that I can still improve in certain areas. So that’s obviously exciting, given the results I’ve achieved so far and what’s to come.”
Strong Weekend for Scheffler
Fitzpatrick shots rounds of 65-63-68-70 for an 18-under total on the par-71 Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head, S.C.
Scheffler opened with rounds of 68-67 to fall seven shots behind Fitzpatrick. He rallied by shooting 64-67 on the weekend. It was his second consecutive runner-up finish, having placed a shot behind Rory McIlroy at the Masters.
“I think in both weeks I put myself behind the eight-ball going into the weekend and had really nice Saturdays and Sundays in order to get myself into contention,” Scheffler said. “On Sunday it’s a shot here or there that makes a difference.
“This was one of those weeks where anytime Fitzy needed something to happen, he made something happen. He definitely earned the win, and he just played great golf.”
Fitzpatrick Hung in with Scheffler Charging
Leading Scheffler by three shots going into the final round, Fitzpatrick birdied two of the first three holes, then made 14 straight pars until bogeying the 18th. Meanwhile Scheffler, his playing partner, had two birdies on the front and birdies on 15 and 16 to come within a shot.
In regulation, both men missed the 18th green. Scheffler chipped his third from 70 feet to 18 inches to save his par. Fitzpatrick, chipping from 69 feet, came up 22 feet short and missed what would have been the winning putt.
His 4-iron approach on the playoff flipped the script of fan favorite Scheffler winning his second RBC Heritage.
“I knew Scottie was going to make some birdies down the stretch,” Fitzpatrick said, “and I kind of had to hang in there a little bit.”
While those two battled head to head, Si Woo Kim closed with a 68 to finish in third place, two strokes back. Collin Morikawa (67), Harris English (69) and Ludvig Åberg (70) tied for fourth at 13 under.
Fitzpatrick Looking Forward to Zurich Team Event
Fitzpatrick and his brother Alex will partner at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. Both have won this season, Alex winning the DP World Tour’s Hero Indian Open three weeks ago.
Among the two-man teams are defending champs Ben Griffin and Andrew Novak and Brooks Koepka and Shane Lowry. Each team plays four-ball (best ball) on Thursday and foursomes (alternate shot) on Friday. After the cut, the top 33 teams and ties play four-ball on Saturday and foursomes on Sunday.
