England’s Matt Fitzpatrick birdied the first playoff hole with a 13-foot putt to win the RBC Heritage after world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler forced the extra play Sunday in Hilton Head Island, S.C.
Fitzpatrick, whose bogey at No. 18 gave Scheffler new life, won for the second time this year to go with a runner-up finish in The Players Championship. He has four career victories on the tour, including two in this tournament (also 2023).
Fitzpatrick has four top-10 finishes in nine tournaments this year.
Scheffler recorded 67 and Fitzpatrick had 70 in the final round. They each posted 18-under 266s at Harbour Town Golf Links.
Scheffler, who played alongside Fitzpatrick in the final grouping, made up three strokes across the last four holes to force the playoff.
Fitzpatrick posted birdies on two of the first three holes — sinking putts from 10 and 17 feet — and then dialed up pars nearly the rest of the way.
South Korea’s Si Woo Kim’s birdie on No. 15 closed the gap to two strokes. Then Scheffler’s birdie on the 15th also drew him within two shots of Fitzpatrick.
Fitzpatrick saved par on No. 16 after his tee shot was in the rough before Scheffler sank a birdie putt to make it a one-stroke margin.
On the 18th, Fitzpatrick’s first shot rolled into a fairway sand trap. He got out fine, but his chip onto the green stopped about 23 feet from the cup, and he ended up with his first bogey in 29 holes.
The tournament ended in a playoff for the fourth time in five years.
Kim (68) placed third at 16 under. Collin Morikawa (67), Harris English (69) and Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg (70) shared fourth place at 13 under. Aberg’s double bogey on No. 16 proved costly.
Bud Cauley (70) was seventh at 12 under.
Michael Kim’s bogey-free 62 marked the best score of the round. That put him at 8 under and tied for 25th place.
Defending champion Justin Thomas posted 66 on Sunday for his only sub-70 round of the tournament. He ended up at 3 over and tied for 77th place.
–Field Level Media
