Matt Fitzpatrick clinched his second PGA Tour triumph of the season by holding off world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler in a dramatic playoff at the RBC Heritage.
The Englishman entered the final round at Harbour Town Golf Links with a comfortable three‑stroke cushion, but a shaky finish forced him into extra holes where he ultimately prevailed. Going into Sunday, Fitzpatrick had built a three‑shot lead after a solid opening round and a strong start to the day, birdieing two of his first three holes and extending his margin to four shots with four holes to play. Scheffler, however, surged back with a pair of birdies, narrowing the gap and setting up a tense finish.
A bogey on the 18th by Fitzpatrick dropped his total to 18 under, ending a streak of 14 consecutive pars that had kept him atop the leaderboard. Both competitors returned to the par‑four 18th for the first playoff hole – the fourth such sudden‑death showdown at the Heritage in 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 birdie, sealing his second Heritage victory 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 on the final stretch, so I 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 a select group of English players – Sir Nick Faldo, Justin Rose (twice) and Luke Donald – who have captured multiple PGA Tour titles in a single season.
During the final round, Fitzpatrick briefly extended his lead with a 10‑foot birdie on the first hole, but a missed opportunity on the subsequent par‑five allowed Scheffler to close to three strokes. A 15‑foot birdie on the third hole restored a four‑shot buffer for Fitzpatrick, while both men squandered chances to widen the gap on the fourth. Scheffler answered with a six‑foot birdie on the fifth, keeping the contest tight. The front nine saw both players trade pars, with Scheffler posting a bogey‑free half and adding a six‑foot birdie on the ninth to reach 16 under.
Neither player hit the green in regulation on the 10th, but both salvaged pars from short distances. Fitzpatrick saved par on the 11th with a 15‑foot putt, and Scheffler produced a clutch 10‑foot save on the 14th to stay within striking distance. Behind the leaders, Si Woo Kim briefly reduced the margin to two strokes after a 12‑foot birdie on the 15th. Scheffler responded with an impressive sand‑save birdie to re‑join the Korean in a tie for second.
On the 16th, Scheffler’s 10‑foot birdie reclaimed solo second place, leaving him just one shot behind Fitzpatrick, who then bogeyed the 18th after a clumsy chip. In the playoff, Fitzpatrick found the green in regulation, while Scheffler missed the putting surface and faced a challenging par putt.
Fitzpatrick’s birdie putt dropped, giving him the victory and his second PGA Tour win in three starts. Scheffler’s runner‑up finish marked his second consecutive top‑two result, coming a week after narrowly missing the Masters title to Rory McIlroy. He praised Fitzpatrick’s resilience, saying, "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." Ludvig Åberg, Collin Morikawa and Harris English tied for fourth at 13 under, while Bud Cauley secured 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. Viktor Hovland, briefly tied for second early on Sunday, posted a disappointing five‑over 76 and finished tied‑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 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. Fans can catch live coverage of the Zurich Classic on Sky Sports, with early action starting Thursday at 1 p.m.
and full programming from 8 p.m. onward. For those without a contract, streaming options are available, and golfers can also explore booking tee times at over 1,700 courses across the UK and Ireland.