Matt Fitzpatrick clinched his second PGA Tour triumph of the year after navigating a shaky finish and prevailing in a sudden‑death playoff against world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler at the RBC Heritage. Entering the final round at Harbour Town Golf Links, the Englishman held a three‑stroke cushion and quickly broadened it with birdies on two of his first three holes, appearing firmly in command with four holes remaining.
However, Scheffler responded with a pair of birdies, and Fitzpatrick’s bogey on the 18th par‑four dropped him to 18‑under, ending a stretch of 14 consecutive pars that had kept him atop the leaderboard overnight. The two competitors returned to the 18th for the first extra hole – the fourth playoff at the Signature Event in five years – where Fitzpatrick’s approach landed twelve feet from the pin and rolled in for the decisive birdie, securing his second Heritage title in four years. "I felt like I got off to a great start," Fitzpatrick reflected. "I knew Scottie was going to make a few birdies at the end, so I just had to hang on a little longer." His victory propelled him to a career‑high world ranking of third and placed him among a select group of English golfers – Sir Nick Faldo, Justin Rose (twice) and Luke Donald – who have captured more than one PGA Tour win in a single season.
The final round was a study in contrast. Fitzpatrick opened with a ten‑foot birdie on the first hole, extending his lead, but missed a chance on the following par‑five as Scheffler holed a short putt to pull within three strokes. A fifteen‑foot birdie on the third restored a four‑shot buffer, yet both players squandered opportunities on the fourth, with Scheffler later missing a six‑foot putt that could have narrowed the gap further. The front nine saw Scheffler post a bogey‑free half, finishing with a six‑foot birdie on the ninth to reach 16‑under, while Fitzpatrick also missed the green in regulation on the 10th but salvaged a par.
The back nine was a back‑and‑forth battle of pars. Fitzpatrick saved par from 15 feet on the 11th, and Scheffler made a courageous ten‑foot par save on the 14th to stay within striking distance.
In the group ahead, Si Woo Kim briefly trimmed the lead to two when he sank a 12‑foot birdie on the 15th. Scheffler answered with an impressive up‑and‑down from the bunker on the same hole, tying Kim for second place. On the 16th, Scheffler’s ten‑foot birdie reclaimed solo second and moved him just one shot behind Fitzpatrick, who then slipped on the final green, chipping poorly and making a two‑putt bogey.
In the playoff, Fitzpatrick found the green in regulation on the first extra hole, while Scheffler fell short and left himself a short putt for par. Fitzpatrick calmly rolled his ball in for birdie, sealing the win in his third start of the season on the PGA Tour.
Scheffler’s runner‑up finish marked his second consecutive week in the top spot, coming just seven days after a narrow loss to Rory McIlroy at The Masters. Kim finished third, two strokes back, after posting a 68 in the final round. "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." The leaderboard also featured Ludvig Åberg tied for fourth at 13‑under alongside Collin Morikawa and Harris English, while Bud Cauley held seventh place ahead of Rickie Fowler, Gary Woodland (who finished with a hole‑out eagle), Patrick Cantlay and Kurt Kitayama. Keegan Bradley and Xander Schauffele each closed on 10‑under, whereas Viktor Hovland, who had briefly shared second place early in the day, faltered with a five‑over 76 to finish tied for 42nd with Ryder Cup teammates Shane Lowry, Sepp Straka and Robert MacIntyre.
The tour now moves to Louisiana for the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, a two‑man team event at TPC Louisiana. Fitzpatrick will team up with his brother Alex, while defending champions Andrew Novak and Ben Griffin look to retain their title. Sky Sports will broadcast live coverage throughout the week, with early action beginning Thursday at 1 p.m.
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