When the last putt dropped, the one that beat him, Scottie Scheffler glanced at his caddie Ted Scott, raised his eyebrows and tilted his head. It was a look that seemed to suggest that the No. 1 player in the world was mighty impressed.
Which says all you need to know about Matt Fitzpatrick’s playoff victory over Scheffler on Sunday at the RBC Heritage.
After flubbing a chip shot on the 72nd hole that enabled Scheffler to complete a rally from three shots down with four to play, Fitzpatrick collected himself to deliver an epic 4-iron that set up a winning 13-foot birdie putt on the first extra hole for his second win in five weeks and second victory at Harbour Town Golf Links.
Fitzpatrick also won the signature event in Hilton Head, S.C., in 2023, making him the first foreign-born player to win the event twice. He is the second player, after Chris Gotterup, with two PGA Tour titles this season after a victory last month at the Valspar Championship in Palm Harbor, Fla. He earned $3.6 million with his fourth career tour victory.
“It means the world. It means the world,” Fitzpatrick repeated when asked about winning a second time at a place where he used to visit with his parents and brother for vacations. “This is a tournament I wanted to win growing up, arguably more than any of the majors before I understood about the game. To win it twice means the world. To go out today and go toe-to-toe with Scottie and get over the line there on the 73rd [hole] is special.”
Scheffler was relegated to runner-up behind a European player for the second week in a row after losing by a stroke to Rory McIlroy at the Masters. Yet again the talented Texan, who suffered only three bogeys all week, was forced to embark on a furious weekend rally to get into contention only to come up just shy again. Scheffler was 11 under par the final two days, including a closing four-under 67, for an 18-under 266 total. Fitzpatrick shot a final-round 70.
“I think in both weeks I put myself behind the eight-ball going into the weekend and had really nice Saturdays and Sundays in order to get myself into contention,” said Scheffler, who has finished in the top 25 in 29 straight starts. “On Sunday it's a shot here or there that makes a difference. This was one of those weeks where anytime Fitzy needed something to happen, he made something happen. He definitely earned the win, and he just played great golf.”
He played with resilience. Or, as he said himself, “a lot of grit.”
“I knew Scottie was going to make some birdies down the stretch, and I kind of had to hang in there a little bit,” Fitzpatrick said.
His play of late has been quite impressive considering that his two wins have come after a 72nd hole bogey at the Players Championship relegated him to second place behind Cameron Young. There had to be a feeling of déjà vu at Harbour Town as Scheffler began to surge over the closing holes and the pro-American gallery began pulling for their countryman, a scenario Fitzpatrick encountered playing beside Young at TPC Sawgrass.
Still clinging to a one-stroke lead, Fitzpatrick missed the green long and right on the par-4 18th hole, but it looked like he might escape when Scheffler missed the green in almost the same spot. Each faced pitch shots of just over 69 feet, and Scheffler, hitting first, coaxed his effort to less than a foot from the hole. Playing quickly, Fitzpatrick, who chips cross-handed, didn’t hit his recovery nearly hard enough, leaving himself a putt of 22 feet for the win. He missed the right-to-left putt on the low side, setting up overtime at the Heritage for the fourth time in five years.
Of course, Fitzpatrick thrives in extra holes at Harbour Town. He defeated another Texas product, Jordan Spieth, in a playoff three years ago when his 9-iron approach into 18 on the third extra hole checked up less than a foot from the cup. This time, the 4-iron he carved into the wind from 204 yards was more impressive. His right hand came off the grip in the follow through, but the ball tracked at the flagstick, landed a few yards in front of the cup and came to rest 13 feet behind it.
He admitted in the aftermath that he pulled that shot slightly.
Scheffler fanned his approach from 186 yards well short of the green but pitched his third to eight feet. He didn’t have to hit again as Fitzpatrick rolled in the left-to-right downhiller for birdie and the title. That’s when Scheffler delivered that knowing look to Scott.
At almost the same time, Fitzpatrick was playfully putting his hand to his ear, listening for the crowd reaction. This time, the former U.S. Open winner sent American fans home disappointed. Sounds were muted along Calibogue Sound.
The man who carries a headcover featuring the iconic red-and-white striped lighthouse behind the 18th green became the 11th player to win the Heritage multiple times.
“Obviously, absolutely delighted. To do it the way I did was special,” said Fitzpatrick, whose wife Katherine is expecting the couple’s first child in July. “Yeah, it's tough to put into words. The 18th hole was playing so different today compared to the first three days. It was quite funny that the playoff was just going to keep playing on 18. I was thinking it was going difficult in a way to separate ourselves because it's such a difficult hole.”
Fitzpatrick also took satisfaction from winning in front of a boisterous crowd pulling for his opponent. That's something he got a taste of the Ryder Cup last fall in New York.
“It didn't get out of line in terms of no one was shouting on backswings or anything like that, which was great,” he said. “I'm all for it. I love the people; they're supporting Scottie. That's great. You want golf to have an atmosphere, in my opinion. I grew up watching football. I'm paid so much money to be out there in front of those crowds, having them chanting at you every week. It's great feeling. However, there's no better feeling than coming out on top against that. There isn't a better feeling.”