Matt Fitzpatrick delivered a masterful playoff performance to claim his second RBC Heritage title, outlasting world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler before taking a cheeky swipe at the patriotic American gallery.
The Sheffield native secured victory with a brilliant 12-foot birdie putt at the first playoff hole, marking his second PGA Tour win in just one month. The triumph elevates Fitzpatrick to third in the world rankings, the highest position of his career.
Fitzpatrick's victory came amid familiar chants of "USA, USA" from the pro-American crowd, similar to what he experienced during his Valspar Championship win against Cameron Young last month. After sinking the winning putt, the Englishman appeared to cup his ear toward the gallery.
"Americans are incredibly patriotic. I guess the only issue is they just have shorter memories because we won in October," Fitzpatrick said of Europe's Ryder Cup win at Bethpage last year.
The 29-year-old embraced the hostile atmosphere, drawing parallels to his football-watching days growing up in England. "It didn't get out of line in terms of no-one was shouting on backswings or anything like that, which was great. I'm all for it," he explained.
"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 a great feeling."
Fitzpatrick entered the final round with a commanding three-shot advantage over his playing partner Scheffler, who finished runner-up at the Masters just one week prior. However, the American's closing 67 gradually eroded that lead, setting up a dramatic finish at Harbour Town.
The playoff became necessary when Fitzpatrick stumbled on the 72nd hole, flubbing a crucial chip shot that led to a bogey. His final-round 70 left him tied with Scheffler at 18-under par, forcing extra holes to determine the champion.
Scheffler reflected on his performance despite the near-miss. "I mean, birdieing the last is nice. It doesn't taste as good when you bogey the 16th and 17th holes. But yeah, I felt like I struck my irons better today again, so that's nice," said the world No. 1.
When the playoff arrived, Fitzpatrick proved why he's become one of the tour's most clutch performers. His four-iron approach shot into the 18th green set up the winning birdie opportunity, which he converted with confidence.
"However, there's no better feeling than coming out on top against that. To describe it in my terms it's kind of winning away against your biggest rival," Fitzpatrick said of silencing the crowd.
"Nothing to do with Scottie or the players. It's the fans that have sort of spurred me on there."
The victory makes Fitzpatrick just the third Englishman to capture multiple PGA Tour wins in a single season, joining an elite group that includes Justin Rose, Sir Nick Faldo, and Luke Donald.
Fitzpatrick's remarkable rise continues a stunning transformation from his world ranking of 85th in May of last year. His recent form suggests he's far from finished climbing the rankings.
"I feel like I can still improve. There's areas that I want to get better at. I feel like I'm playing very well right now," he said.
The Englishman's back-to-back victories in hostile territory demonstrate his growing maturity and ability to thrive under pressure, qualities that could serve him well as the season's major championships approach.
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*Originally published on [Golf News Global](https://golfnews.global/article/fitzpatrick-beats-scheffler-in-playoff-makes-ryder-cup-dig-at-heritage). Visit for full coverage.*
