Matt Fitzpatrick has secured his second PGA Tour victory of the season, overcoming a late stumble to defeat world number one Scottie Scheffler in a play-off at the RBC Heritage. Fitzpatrick had begun the final day with a three-shot lead at Harbour Town Golf Links and initially extended his advantage with two birdies in his first three holes.
However, Scheffler mounted a strong challenge with back-to-back birdies to force a play-off after Fitzpatrick bogeyed the final hole. Fitzpatrick regained his composure to win the play-off with a birdie on the first extra hole, moving to a career-high world ranking of third. This victory also makes him the fourth Englishman to achieve multiple PGA Tour wins in the same season, following in the footsteps of Sir Nick Faldo, Justin Rose, and Luke Donald.
Fitzpatrick's win came after a dramatic finale, where he and Scheffler were tied at 18 under after the Englishman's late bogey. The play-off saw Fitzpatrick fire his approach to 12 feet and roll in the birdie, while Scheffler struggled to find the green.
'I felt like I got off to a great start,' Fitzpatrick said. 'I knew Scottie was going to make a few birdies on the final stretch, so I had to hang in there.' The RBC Heritage leaderboard saw Scheffler finish as runner-up for the second consecutive week, following his near-miss at The Masters. Si Woo Kim took third place, two strokes behind the leaders, after a final-round 68.
'This was one of those weeks where anytime Fitzy needed something to happen, he made it happen,' Scheffler said. 'He definitely earned the win and played great golf.' The PGA Tour now heads to Louisiana for the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, where Fitzpatrick will partner his brother Alex in the two-man team event.