Matt Fitzpatrick overcame a final-round wobble to earn his second PGA Tour win of the season with a playoff victory over world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler at the RBC Heritage.
On the final day at Havertown Golf Links, Fitzpatrick took a three-shot lead and extended his advantage with two birdies in the first three holes, and it looked like the Englishman had taken control of the tournament when he was still three shots behind with four holes to go.
Scheffler finished with consecutive birdies, but Fitzpatrick made bogey on the final par 4, forcing a playoff and falling back to 18 under par, ending the leader’s streak of 14 consecutive pars.
Fitzpatrick played alongside Scheffler in Sunday’s final group.
The players returned to the first extra hole, the par-4 18th, for the fourth playoff in five years at the signature event. Fitzpatrick drove his approach to 12 feet for birdie and his second RBC Heritage win in four years.
“I felt like we got off to a great start,” Fitzpatrick said. “I knew Scotty (Scheffler) was going to make some birdies on the last straight. I had to work a little harder there.”
The victory moved Fitzpatrick to a career-high third place in the world and made him the fourth British player in history to record multiple PGA Tour titles in the same season, joining Sir Nick Faldo, Justin Rose (twice) and Luke Donald.
How Fitzpatrick beat Scheffler in the PGA Tour Playoffs
Fitzpatrick extended his overnight advantage with a 10-foot birdie on the first, but couldn’t capitalize on the next par-5, where Scheffler set him up from close range to get back within three strokes.
Fitzpatrick restored a four-stroke buffer with a 15-foot birdie on the third, and both players had a chance to pull away even further on the par-4 fourth, with Scheffler burning a 6-footer in his next at-bat.
The two continued to trade pars, with Scheffler making a 6-foot birdie on the 9th for a bogey-free front nine to reach 16 under, but Scheffler and Fitzpatrick missed the green in regulation on the 10th, securing a close par.
Fitzpatrick shot a 1-under 70 on the final day.
Nothing could separate them as they moved forward with par. Fitzpatrick holed from 15 feet on the 11th to save par, and Scheffler made a gutsy save from 10 feet on the 14th to avoid further setbacks.
Kim Si-woo, who was playing in the group ahead, rolled in from 12 feet on the par-5 15th, briefly cutting the lead to two points. There, Schaeffler made a nice up-and-down shot from the sand and got a birdie, moving him into a tie for second place with the Korean player.
Kim Si-woo, playing in the penultimate group, posted a 3-under 68 and took 3rd place.
Scheffler rattled it in from 10 feet on No. 16 to take back solo second place and close in on Fitzpatrick’s shot. Fitzpatrick approached the finish line with a par, but an awkward chip from behind the final green led to a two-putt bogey.
Fitzpatrick was determined to hit the regulation green on the first hole of the playoff, but Scheffler finished short of the green, leaving the tester for par, and the Yorkshireman beckoned a birdie for his second PGA Tour victory in three starts.
Scheffler’s runner-up finish was his second in recent weeks and his first in seven days after finishing one stroke behind Rory McIlroy at the Masters last Sunday, while Kim posted a final-round 68 for third place, two strokes behind.
“This week was one of those weeks where whenever Fitzy (Fitzpatrick) had to make something happen, he made something happen,” Scheffler said. “He definitely got the win and just played some great golf.”
Ludwig Oberg finished 4th at 13 under along with Collin Morikawa and Harris English, while Bud Corey finished 7th ahead of Rickie Fowler, Gary Woodland who finished the week with a hole-out eagle, Patrick Cantlay and Kurt Kitayama.
Use Chrome Browser for a more accessible video player
Gary Woodland closes out RBC Heritage with a stunning hole-out eagle from the final fairway
Keegan Bradley and Xander Schauffele both finished the week at 10 under, and Viktor Hovland, who briefly moved into a tie for second early on the final day, shot a 5-over 76 to finish tied for 42nd with Ryder Cup teammates Shane Lowry, Sepp Straka and Robert McIntyre.
What’s next?
The PGA Tour heads to Louisiana for the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. Fitzpatrick will partner with his brother Alex Fitzpatrick in the two-man team event at TPC Louisiana, with Andrew Novak and Ben Griffin returning as defending champions.
Watch the Zurich Classic in New Orleans live all week long on Sky Sports. Early coverage begins Thursday at 1 p.m., ahead of full coverage at 8 p.m. Enjoy Sky Sports and streaming golf without a contract.
Book your round at the best price on one of our 1,700 courses across the UK and Ireland
