Matthew Fitzpatrick has claimed his first win since remaining yr’s US Open, successful the RBC Heritage on the 3rd playoff hollow at Harbor Town, after an exhilarating duel with three-time main winner Jordan Spieth for the name.
Fitzpatrick was the primary Englishman to win the event since Nick Faldo in 1984 after Spieth cruelly lipped out a $5.4 million putt to fall heartbreakingly brief of turning into simply the event’s fourth-ever back-to-back winner.
Spieth lengthy seemed into the ascendancy however could not shut out birdie putts on each the primary and 2nd playoff holes that might’ve claimed the win. At the 3rd playoff hollow, Fitzpatrick just about holed out from the golf green to depart himself with only a tap-in for birdie.
Spieth could not reply, making the Englishman the winner of the $3.6 million (A$5.4m) best prize. The American needed to accept 2nd and a take a look at for $2.2 million.
Americans Patrick Cantlay got here 3rd at 16-under, lacking the playoff by means of one shot, adopted by means of Xander Schafuele one shot additional again.
Fitzpatrick, the 2022 US Open champion, triumphed within the the city the place he spent a lot of his circle of relatives holidays after first visiting as a six-year-old.
“It’s hard to describe,” mentioned the 28-year-old from Sheffield. “I mentioned to (caddie) Billy (Foster), it does not recover than this – strolling down right here, simply having a look round. It’s a route I dreamed of enjoying when I used to be younger.”
“I controlled to play a few occasions with my dad and sure, this one way greater than the rest.” Fitzpatrick’s family was at Harbor Town to share the victory with him.
Spieth had made four birdies in the opening six holes but he missed a short putt for bogey on the par-three 14th and left the door open for Fitzpatrick.
The Englishman then made birdies on the 15th and 16th to grab a share of the lead and could have won it at the death if Spieth hadn’t made a tricky six-footer to force the playoff.
“It was a really good round. I got off to a dream start and then just kind of hung in there for a little while and then made a nice putt to get into the playoff, and then played the playoff really well,” mentioned Spieth.
“Someone was once going to make a birdie. It wasn’t going to be a bogey to lose that playoff the best way that we had been each enjoying nowadays. He simply did what he had to do at 15 in, when it were more or less me and Patrick for a short time there. He simply snuck in and performed some super golfing.”