It seemed like it was going to happen.
On Sunday, Scottie Scheffler was in pursuit of Matt Fitzpatrick, who had just birdied the first hole of the final round at RBC Heritage, increasing his lead to four strokes.
By the time they reached the 72nd hole at Harbor Town Links, Fitzpatrick’s lead had dwindled to just one. That’s when he finally faltered, hitting his first bogey of the day, which meant they had to head to a playoff.
After they teed off, Scheffler found himself in a better position, 18 yards ahead of Fitzpatrick, with both players safely on the fairway.
But then Fitzpatrick struck the shot that would win him the tournament. He nailed a remarkable 4-iron from 204 yards, expertly managing the challenging right-to-left winds, finishing about 13 feet past the hole.
Of course, Scheffler had a chance to equalize. I mean, it wouldn’t have been surprising if the world’s top player had done just that.
But instead, Scheffler’s second shot from 186 yards went awry, thanks to the wind, landing a surprising 37 yards short of the green.
A stunned Jim Nantz remarked on CBS, “Wow, wow, we’re back in time. We’re back again.”
Scheffler managed to chip the ball within about 8 feet, but Fitzpatrick sank his birdie putt, clinching the victory along with a hefty $3.6 million prize at Hilton Head, South Carolina.
This marked the second consecutive week that Scheffler finished in second place at the Masters, just a stroke behind Rory McIlroy.
“Both weeks, I had a strong Saturday and Sunday, which put me in a good position going into the weekend,” Scheffler noted, taking home $2.16 million for his efforts.
“When it comes to Sundays, those little shots can change everything. This week, whenever Fitzy needed to make things happen, he did. He definitely earned the win with some fantastic golf.”
Fitzpatrick’s victory was his second of the year, having previously won the Valspar Championship last month, and also notable as he had bested Jordan Spieth in the playoffs in 2023.
“It was pretty intriguing to see the playoff go all the way to No. 18,” Fitzpatrick said. “That hole is incredibly tough, so I thought it would be tricky for us to find a clear winner. It felt special to pull it off my way.”
