Matt Fitzpatrick secured a second PGA Tour win of the season after overcoming a final-round wobble to claim play-off victory over world No 1 Scottie Scheffler at the RBC Heritage.
Fitzpatrick took a three-shot lead into the final day at Harbour Town Golf Links and posted two birdies in his first three holes to extend his advantage, with the Englishman seemingly in control of the tournament when he was still three ahead with four holes to play.
Scheffler closed with back-to-back birdies and then found himself in a play-off when Fitzpatrick bogeyed the par-four last and slipped back to 18 under, ending a run of 14 straight pars for the overnight leader.
Fitzpatrick played alongside Scheffler in the final group on Sunday
The players returned to the par-four 18th for the first extra hole, the fourth play-off in five years at the Signature Event, where Fitzpatrick fired his approach to 12 feet and rolled in the birdie to claim his second RBC Heritage win in four years.
“I felt like I got off to a great start,” Fitzpatrick said. “I knew Scottie [Scheffler] was going to make a few birdies on the final stretch. I kind of had to hang in there a little bit.”
Victory lifts Fitzpatrick to a career-high of world No 3 and makes him just the fourth Englishman in history to register multiple PGA Tour titles in the same season, following on from Sir Nick Faldo, Justin Rose (twice) and Luke Donald.
How Fitzpatrick pipped Scheffler in PGA Tour play-off
Fitzpatrick extended his overnight advantage with a 10-foot birdie at the first but failed to take advantage of the par-five next, where Scheffler tidied up from close range to get back within three.
A 15-foot birdie from Fitzpatrick at the third restored a four-shot buffer, with both players burning opportunities to pull further clear at the par-four fourth before Scheffler burned another six-foot chance at the next.
The pair continued to trade pars until Scheffler signed off a bogey-free front nine with a six-foot birdie at the ninth, taking him to 16 under, with both him and Fitzpatrick missing the green in regulation at the 10th before securing close-range pars.
Fitzpatrick posted a one-under 70 during the final day
Nothing could separate the two as they pushed forward in pars, with Fitzpatrick holing from 15 feet to save par at the 11th and Scheffler producing a gutsy save from 10 feet at the 14th to avoid falling further behind.
Si Woo Kim – playing in the group ahead – temporarily cut the lead to two when he rolled in from 12 feet at the par-five 15th, where Scheffler produced a brilliant up and down from the sand to make a birdie and join the Korean in tied-second.
Si Woo Kim, playing in the penultimate group, posted a three-under 68 to finish third
Scheffler rattled in from 10 feet at the 16th to reclaim solo second and move within a shot of Fitzpatrick, who edged closer to the finish line in pars before a clunky chip from the back of the final green led to a two-putt bogey.
Fitzpatrick composed himself to find the green in regulation on the first play-off hole, where Scheffler finished short of the green and left himself a tester for par, as the Yorkshireman coaxed in for birdie to claim a second PGA Tour win in three starts.
Scheffler’s runner-up finish is his second in as many weeks, seven days on from ending a shot behind Rory McIlroy at The Masters last Sunday, while Kim was two strokes back in third spot after a final-round 68.
“This was one of those weeks where anytime Fitzy [Fitzpatrick] needed something to happen, he made something happen,” Scheffler said. “He definitely earned the win, and he just played great golf.”
Ludvig Åberg finished in fourth spot on 13 under alongside Collin Morikawa and Harris English, while Bud Cauley claimed seventh ahead of Rickie Fowler, Gary Woodland – who finished his week with a hole-out eagle, Patrick Cantlay and Kurt Kitayama.
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Gary Woodland signed off his RBC Heritage with a stunning hole-out eagle from the final fairway
Keegan Bradley and Xander Schauffele both ended the week on 10 under, while Viktor Hovland – briefly in tied-second early on the final day – posted a five-over 76 to finish in tied-42nd alongside Ryder Cup teammates Shane Lowry, Sepp Straka and Robert MacIntyre.
What’s next?
The PGA Tour heads to Louisiana for the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, a two-man team event at TPC Louisiana where Fitzpatrick will partner his brother Alex Fitzpatrick as Andrew Novak and Ben Griffin return as defending champions.
Watch the Zurich Classic of New Orleans throughout the week live on Sky Sports. Early coverage begins on Thursday from 1pm ahead of full coverage from 8pm. Get Sky Sports or stream golf with no contract.
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