Fitzpatrick wins RBC Heritage in dramatic playoff, coming full-circle on Hilton Head
Matt Fitzpatrick claimed the tartan jacket Sunday afternoon at Harbour Town Golf Links after an intense four-day tournament featuring a full field of the most talented golfers RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing has ever welcomed.
Defending champion Jordan Spieth and Fitzpatrick were locked in a play-off after finishing the regular tournament in a tie at 17 under par. They were forced to replay the 18th hole to decide the winner, which also resulted in a tie. The pair moved to the 17th hole in sudden-death fashion, ending in yet another gridlock after Spieth missed a potential tournament-winning putt by less than an inch.
Fitzpatrick captured his second PGA win in less than a year, winning the 2022 U.S. Open last fall.
After teeing off from hole 18 for the third time today, Fitzpatrick finally seized victory by tapping in a short putt after his second stroke stopped just inches short of the cup. He ended the tournament 17 under par.
Fitzpatrick, 28, is the first Englishman to win the Heritage since 1984. He and his family has vacationed on Hilton Head since he was 6 years old, and he played the course with his father when he was young.
“This one means more than anything,” Fitzpatrick said. “This place is just a special place for me, my family can tell you that, my friends can tell you that ... besides the majors, of course, this has been the one I’ve always wanted to win.”
Fitzpatrick said his nostalgia for the island — and Harbour Town in particular, where his parents rented vacation space for their trips — made the win especially memorable, and he felt a great deal of support from the crowd thank to his background on the island.
At one point during the playoff, Fitzpatrick missed a crucial putt. The crowd around the green briefly erupted into chants of “U.S.A” following the Englishman’s miss.
“When you’re the underdog or the person that everyone’s not rooting for, obviously it’s a little bit sweeter when you do win, there’s no doubt about that,” Fitzpatrick said. “But I felt like I had a lot of support out there myself. Obviously, ‘U.S.A’ and the Spieth chants were louder, but I definitely had some support out here and I felt that because of my connection here. It was very, very nice to win here.”
After teeing off early Sunday afternoon, Fitzpatrick locked up his solid weekend performance shooting 3 under par on the day, pulling away from a crowded field that saw frequent top 10 shakeups and lead changes since early Thursday, when Savannah native Brian Harman and Norwegian pro Viktor Hovland stood atop the rankings only to be usurped by day’s end.
Fitzpatrick will don the red plaid jacket and claim part of Heritage’s largest purse ever — $20 million, a heftier sum than the $18 million Masters prize. Fitzpatrick will take home $3.6 million, and runner-up Spieth wins $2.18 million.
RBC Heritage, which completed its 55th year, saw a field that was heavy-laden with top talent, in part because of the tournament’s elevated status this year by the PGA Tour.
The tournament has ended in a playoff two years in a row. Last year, Spieth defeated Patrick Cantlay in similarly nail-biting fashion.
Patrick Cantlay, who lost in the playoff last year, finished third this year at 16 under par.
To see where all players currently stand on the leaderboard, visit the PGA Tour website.
