Matt Fitzpatrick captured his second PGA Tour triumph of the season by surviving a tense final‑round stumble and then out‑shooting world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler in a sudden‑death playoff at the RBC Heritage. The Englishman entered the final day at Harbour Town Golf Links with a comfortable three‑stroke lead, but the closing holes proved anything but easy, and the tournament ultimately boiled down to a single extra hole where Fitzpatrick’s precise approach and steady putting secured the victory.
Going into Sunday’s round, Fitzpatrick had built a three‑shot cushion after a strong start that featured two birdies in his first three holes. With four holes remaining he still held a three‑stroke advantage, appearing to be in full control of the event.
Scheffler, however, mounted a late charge, stringing together two consecutive birdies that narrowed the gap and forced the leader to defend his position. On the 18th hole, Fitzpatrick slipped with a bogey, dropping his total to 18 under par and ending a run of 14 consecutive pars that had kept him atop the leaderboard.
Both competitors headed back to the par‑four 18th for the first playoff hole – the fourth such playoff at the Signature Event in the past five years. Fitzpatrick’s tee shot found the fairway, and his approach landed just 12 feet from the pin. He calmly rolled the ball in for a birdie, clinching his second RBC Heritage title in four years.
"I felt like I got off to a great start," Fitzpatrick reflected afterward. "I knew Scottie was going to make a few birdies on the final stretch.
I kind of had to hang in there a little bit." The win propelled Fitzpatrick to a career‑high world ranking of No. 3 and placed him among an elite group of English golfers who have claimed multiple PGA Tour victories in a single season.
He joins Sir Nick Faldo, Justin Rose (who achieved the feat twice) and Luke Donald as the only Englishmen to do so. During the final round, Fitzpatrick extended his lead with a 10‑foot birdie on the first hole but missed an opportunity on the following par‑five, allowing Scheffler to close to within three strokes after a close‑range birdie.
Fitzpatrick responded with a 15‑foot birdie on the third, restoring a four‑shot buffer. Both players exchanged pars for the remainder of the front nine, with Scheffler posting a six‑foot birdie on the ninth to move to 16 under. Neither player hit the green in regulation on the 10th, but both salvaged pars from short distances.
The back‑nine saw the two rivals continue to trade pars. Fitzpatrick saved par from 15 feet on the 11th, while Scheffler made a clutch 10‑foot save on the 14th to keep the gap from widening. A brief surge by Si Woo Kim, who birdied the 15th from 12 feet, trimmed the lead to two strokes, but Scheffler answered with a brilliant sand‑save birdie to re‑join the Korean in second place.
On the 16th, Scheffler’s 10‑foot birdie moved him to solo second, just a shot behind Fitzpatrick. The Englishman then added a pars run before a mis‑hit chip on the final green resulted in a two‑putt bogey, erasing his earlier cushion.
In the playoff, Fitzpatrick found the green in regulation, while Scheffler fell short and left himself a challenging par putt. Fitzpatrick’s birdie putt dropped in, sealing the win. Scheffler’s runner‑up finish marked his second consecutive top‑two result, coming just a week after he finished one shot behind Rory McIlroy at The Masters.
Kim secured third place, two strokes back, after posting a final‑round 68. "This was one of those weeks where anytime Fitzy needed something to happen, he made something happen," Scheffler said. "He definitely earned the win, and he just played great golf." Ludvig Åberg rounded out the top four at 13 under, tied with Collin Morikawa and Harris English. Bud Cauley finished seventh, followed by Rickie Fowler, Gary Woodland (who capped his round with a hole‑out eagle), Patrick Cantlay and Kurt Kitayama.
Keegan Bradley and Xander Schauffele each ended on 10 under, while Viktor Hovland, after briefly sharing second place early on Sunday, posted a five‑over 76 and fell to a tie for 42nd alongside Ryder Cup teammates Shane Lowry, Sepp Straka and Robert MacIntyre. The PGA Tour now moves to Louisiana for the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, a two‑man team competition at TPC Louisiana. Fitzpatrick will team up with his brother Alex, while defending champions Andrew Novak and Ben Griffin look to repeat their success.
Fans can follow the Zurich Classic live on Sky Sports, with early coverage beginning Thursday at 1 pm and full coverage from 8 pm. For those without a contract, streaming options are available through Sky Sports’ no‑contract golf service.
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