HILTON HEAD ISLAND, SC – Matt Fitzpatrick’s earliest memories of Harbor Town were when a viewer wondered if Tiger Woods would play the RBC Heritage.
He was always disappointed as Woods only played at the Hilton Head once, in 1999 when Fitzpatrick was 4 years old.
“I remember saying to my dad, ‘Will Tiger (Woods) be here?'” he recalled.
Now Fitzpatrick has a sweeter memory of the Pete Dye layout he used to play over the holidays as a kid.
Fitzpatrick defeated defending champion Jordan Spieth on Sunday’s third playoff hole, narrowly tamping his approach to the par-4 18 to secure his first win since the US Open last June.
“I think I can retire now,” joked the 28-year-old Englishman, who dons a Harbor Town-style lighthouse hat. “That’s one I really wanted.”
Fitzpatrick hit 9-iron to within 1 foot on the final lighthouse hole to set up the winning birdie.
Fitzpatrick had to sweat out a few top chances from Spieth on the first two extra holes. Spieth triumphantly raised his putter before watching his 12-foot birdie putt hit the right rim and spun as the pair played the 18th for the first time. Then Spieth’s 9-foot birdie attempt on the right edge at the 17th hole ran out of steam.
“I felt like every putt he hit would go in,” Fitzpatrick said.
Spieth still doesn’t understand why the first playoff putt didn’t fall.
“I think if I hit the same putt 10 times, he’ll make it 8 times,” Spieth said. “It’s supposed to be on the left at the very end. It just wasn’t meant to be.”
There was no mistaking the last hole as Fitzpatrick hit the front of the green from 187 yards and watched the ball land off the hole. Spieth’s try from 26 feet rolled past and Fitzpatrick tapped in for the win.
Fitzpatrick felt the shot was right from the moment he hit it. He wasn’t sure how close it was to him, but he got an idea when he saw his family cheering wildly.
“I knew it was good because my mom and my girlfriend were jumping up and down,” he said.
Fitzpatrick won $3.6 million from the increased $20 million prize pool at the sixth designated event of the year on the PGA Tour, leading a field that included seven of the top 10 players in the world.
Fitzpatrick was twice behind Spieth with five holes left, but birdied on the 15th and 16th to equal the lead at 17-under.
Fitzpatrick, a one-shot lead of round three, finished with a 3-under 68 and matched Spieth with a 17-under 267. Spieth had his second 66 in a row.
Patrick Cantlay, grouped with Fitzpatrick and Spieth, finished third after a 68 left him with 16-under. Cantlay lost this title to Spieth in a playoff a year ago.
“Another close try here,” Cantlay said.
Xander Schauffele was another shot behind after a 66. Sahith Theegala hit a 65 and Hayden Buckley a 67 to share fifth place with 14-under.
World No. 2 Scottie Scheffler shot 70 and finished 12-th in 11th place. Masters champion Jon Rahm finished with a 68 and tied for 15th before taking a well-deserved week off.
Fitzpatrick carried a one-shot lead into the final round but watched Spieth make four birdies in the first six holes to share the lead.
Fitzpatrick played a stretch of nine holes in 1 over when Spieth looked ready to retire. But Spieth bogeyed on the par-3 14th while Fitzpatrick responded with back-to-back birdies on the 15th and 16th.
The pair remained tied until Fitzpatrick’s remarkable approach to the winning hole.
Cantlay, who was so close a year ago, lost his chance to win with back-to-back bogeys on the 13th and 14th holes. He initially missed 2 feet from the inside, then saw his chip off the green at the next hole and ended up wedged next to a wooden pole at the water’s edge.
cantlay could unfold it and complete the most unlikely bogey he’s had it for a while.
Masters Champion cream made it a point to don the plaid jacket given to winners here to match the green he had brought from Augusta National. But a 1-over-72 on Thursday threw him back and he never challenged the lead despite shooting in the 60s the last three rounds.
Rahm played his last 33 holes 2-under and finished with a birdie on the last. his neck settling within 2 feet.
The crowd cheered and sang as he clapped them back with a big smile. Rahm will return in two weeks to defend his Mexican championship title.
“Honestly, I didn’t expect that,” Rahm said of the fans. “I didn’t expect this in my wildest dreams, to see the kids, the adults and everyone that has that reaction just to see me is really quite special.”
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