Matt Fitzpatrick clinched his second PGA Tour triumph of the year after navigating a shaky final round and then prevailing in a sudden‑death playoff against world number one Scottie Scheffler at the RBC Heritage. The Englishman entered the final day at Harbour Town Golf Links with a three‑stroke cushion, quickly adding two birdies in the opening three holes to stretch his lead to four. With just four holes remaining, Fitzpatrick appeared firmly in command, but a late‑round bogey on the 18th dropped him back to 18‑under and set up a dramatic showdown.
Scheffler responded with a pair of birdies to force the extra‑hole contest. On the first playoff hole – the 18th again – Fitzpatrick’s tee‑shot found the fairway, and his approach landed 12 feet from the pin. He calmly rolled the ball in for birdie, sealing his second Heritage title in four years. "I felt like I got off to a great start," Fitzpatrick said afterward.
"I knew Scottie would make a few birdies down the stretch, so I just had to stay patient and hang on." The victory lifted Fitzpatrick to a career‑high world ranking of third, making him only the fourth Englishman ever to capture more than one PGA Tour win in a single season, joining Sir Nick Faldo, Justin Rose (who did it twice) and Luke Donald. The tournament had been a roller‑coaster for both competitors. After extending his overnight lead with a 10‑foot birdie on the first hole of the final round, Fitzpatrick missed a birdie chance on the following par‑five, allowing Scheffler to close to within three strokes.
A 15‑foot birdie on the third hole restored a four‑shot buffer for Fitzpatrick, but both players squandered chances on the fourth and fifth holes, with Scheffler salvaging a six‑foot birdie on the fifth to stay within striking distance. The front nine unfolded with both men posting pars punctuated by occasional birdies. Scheffler finished the front nine bogey‑free, sinking a six‑foot birdie at the ninth to move to 16‑under. At the 10th, both competitors missed the green but salvaged pars, and the battle continued in a steady rhythm of pars and occasional birdies.
Fitzpatrick saved par with a 15‑foot putt on the 11th, while Scheffler produced a clutch 10‑foot par save on the 14th. A brief surge from Si Woo Kim, who was playing ahead, trimmed the lead to two when he birdied the par‑five 15th from 12 feet. Scheffler answered with a superb sand‑save birdie, re‑tying Kim for second place. On the 16th, Scheffler’s 10‑foot birdie brought him within a single stroke of Fitzpatrick, who then chipped a poor approach on the 18th into a two‑putt bogey, narrowing his margin.
The playoff began with Fitzpatrick finding the green in regulation, while Scheffler’s tee shot fell short, leaving him a long putt for par. Fitzpatrick’s 12‑foot birdie putt dropped, giving him the win. Scheffler’s runner‑up finish marked his second consecutive week as a runner‑up, following a close second‑place finish to Rory McIlroy at The Masters just a week earlier. He praised Fitzpatrick, saying, "Whenever Fitzy needed something to happen, he made it happen.
He definitely earned the win and played great golf." Ludvig Åberg rounded out the top four on 13‑under, tied with Collin Morikawa and Harris English. Bud Cauley held seventh, ahead of Rickie Fowler, Gary Woodland (who finished with a hole‑out eagle), Patrick Cantlay and Kurt Kitayama. Keegan Bradley and Xander Schauffele both finished at 10‑under, while Viktor Hovland, after briefly sharing second place early in the day, posted a disappointing 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 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. The Heritage tournament showcased the fine line between triumph and disappointment on a classic seaside course. Fitzpatrick’s ability to rebound from a late‑round stumble, coupled with his composure in the playoff, highlighted why he is rapidly becoming one of the sport’s most compelling figures. For Scheffler, the near‑miss will serve as motivation as he continues to chase his first PGA Tour win of the season, while the rest of the field will look to build on strong performances as the Tour heads deeper into the spring swing.