In the RBC Heritage, Matt Fitzpatrick defeated defending champion Jordan Spieth in a nail-biting playoff to win just his second PGA Tour championship.
Throughout Sunday’s final round, Fitzpatrick, the overnight leader, and Spieth traded the lead while their playing partner and 2022 runner-up Patrick Cantlay gradually faded and ultimately finished third.
Nonetheless, the lead pair finished tied on 17-under par, forcing the tournament to go to a playoff for the second consecutive year. Throughout the first two extra holes, there was also no way to tell them apart.
🏆 @MattFitz94 has won @RBC_Heritage!
It's Fitzpatrick's second PGA TOUR win and ninth worldwide. pic.twitter.com/IDgSCEE8Wt
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) April 16, 2023
With Spieth missing a 40-foot putt, Fitzpatrick stepped up to sink his for a birdie and add to his US Open victory from the previous year. Nevertheless, an excellent shot from the fairway to just inches from the pin on the 18th saw the Englishman seize the advantage.
Story of the round
Fitzpatrick overcame Tom Kite by one stroke in 1984 to become just the second English golfer to win this competition. Nick Faldo was the first.
Yet for the 28-year-old, who first visited this course at Hilton Head Island with his family when he was six and always wanted to play, this success resonated more on a personal level.
Fitzpatrick told Sky Sports Golf, “Of every single one on the calendar, this is the one I wanted to win the most. I feel like I’ve had a lot of luck in my career thus far; I’ve already won a major.”
“I felt like I had to be extremely patient because Jordan got off to a fast start on hole No. 1 by being like Jordan Spieth. It has definitely been a major strength of mine when I’ve performed well.
Every time I’ve driven down the drive and seen the victors here, I’ve thought, “I want to be one of those”—and here I am.”
Spieth missed two birdie putts on the first two holes of the play-off—the par-3 18th and then the 17th—by the narrowest of margins.
Fitzpatrick played with Spieth and Cantlay in the final threesome and finished with a 68 after shooting an eight-under 63 on Saturday to claim the 54-hole lead. Spieth finished with a 66 to tie Fitzpatrick for the lead at 17-under 267. Throughout the back nine, Spieth maintained the sole advantage.
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