Matt Fitzpatrick bounced back from disappointment on the final hole at last week’s Players Championship with a final birdie to win the Valspar Championship by one stroke and earn his first PGA Tour victory in nearly three years.
The Englishman showed great consistency over the weekend with six birdies and a 68-69 on only par 30s, but the most important shot he picked up was the tough 18th hole on the Copperhead course.
A birdie in the final stages gave him a one-shot lead over American David Lipsky, and it looked like the match was headed for a playoff. England’s Jordan Smith was a further stroke behind, while Xander Schauffele shot an impressive 65 on Sunday to finish at 8 under.
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Matt Fitzpatrick made a huge birdie putt at the end to take the lead for good.
Entering the final hole tied with Lipsky at 10 under, Fitzpatrick pulled his approach 14 feet short for his first birdie on the hole in 12 attempts.
That left the American players in the group having to match it to make the playoffs, but his 32-foot attempt fell just short.
For Fitzpatrick, coming one shot short after bogeying the final hole at Sawgrass last week and being hit by Cameron Young was some consolation, and the win is an ideal confidence booster for next month’s Masters.
Fitzpatrick determined not to ‘coast’ after players’ disappointment
“I felt like we played really well last week until the end,” Fitzpatrick said after the game. “It’s always disappointing to lose your way.”
“When you spend four days of your life fighting for the top spot and then lose it at the moment of death, you always feel a little tired.
“It’s always difficult to accept that, so this week it was important for me to get back on the horse and push myself to keep playing well.
“It was frustrating (at The Players). It was a weird feeling because I didn’t feel like I did much wrong in the second half. I hit a lot of really good shots on that back nine.”
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England’s Matt Fitzpatrick speaks after winning the Valspar Championship
“For example, I played a lot better on the back nine last Sunday than I did on the back nine this Sunday.
“Obviously, there’s more frustration when you don’t feel like you made a big mistake, when you don’t feel like you lost it, when you feel like someone came along and took it away from you.
“We tried to not coast this week. We knew we were playing well, so we were just like, ‘Let’s just keep pushing and give ourselves the best chance we can.’
Fellow Briton Smith’s 5-under 66 improved his lead to 9 under and placed him in 3rd place. His compatriot Marco Penge also fought until he bogeyed the 16th hole, finishing with a 68 and a tie for 4th place at 8 under.
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