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Fitzpatrick Stuns Scheffler in Playoff to Win RBC Heritage Title

Matt Fitzpatrick captured his second RBC Heritage title by defeating world number one Scottie Scheffler in a sudden-death playoff at Harbour Town. Fitzpatrick sealed the victory with a stunning 4-iron approach and a 13-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole. Indian-origin golfers Akshay Bhatia and Sahith Theegala both played under-par rounds to secure finishes inside the top 25. Scheffler, who forced the playoff with late birdies, recorded his second consecutive runner-up finish on the PGA Tour.

Key Points: Fitzpatrick Wins RBC Heritage in Playoff Over Scheffler

  • Fitzpatrick wins second RBC Heritage title
  • Defeats World No. 1 Scheffler in playoff
  • Bhatia & Theegala post top-25 finishes
  • Scheffler's second straight runner-up
2 min read

PGA TOUR: Bhatia finishes tied-16th as Theegala is T-25, Fitzpatrick wins title

Matt Fitzpatrick defeats world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler in a playoff to win the RBC Heritage. Akshay Bhatia and Sahith Theegala finish in the top 25.

"It rolled past the pin and stopped 13 feet away for a birdie. Fitzpatrick holed it to beat Scheffler. - Report"

Hilton Head Island, April 21

Akshay Bhatia and Sahith Theegala played under par rounds to finish in the top 25 at the RBC Heritage on the PGA TOUR. While Bhatia moved up to T-16, nine places from his overnight position T-25, Theegala moved to T-25, up from overnight T-41.

Another Indian origin player, Sudarshan Yellamaraju (68), finished T-53.

Matt Fitzpatrick (70) held off World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler (67) in regulation play as the latter rallied from his three-shot deficit to force a playoff at Harbour Town Links. Both finished at 18-under.

In the play-off, Fitzpatrick, 31, stunned the pro-Scheffler crowd with a 4-iron from 204 yards, a little more left than he intended but very good. It rolled past the pin and stopped 13 feet away for a birdie. Fitzpatrick holed it to beat Scheffler and win the RBC Heritage for the second time.

The victory, his fourth on the PGA TOUR and 13th worldwide, moves him to a career-high No. 3 in the world ranking.

Fitzpatrick won for the second time in the last month. After his runner-up finish at THE PLAYERS, he won the Valspar Championship. He has won nearly USD 8.3 million in his last four tournaments.

The playoff was almost a repeat from the previous time when Fitzpatrick defeated another American favourite, Jordan Spieth, in a playoff at the RBC Heritage three years ago. This time the closing hole was a brute, the toughest at Harbour Town.

Scheffler, trailing by three shots with four holes to play, forced a playoff with a pair of late birdies for a 4-under 67 and some help from Fitzpatrick, who hit a poor chip from right of the green and missed a 20-foot par putt for his only bogey of the day and a 70.

Scheffler followed with his worst swing of the day, a 6-iron that came up 37 yards short of the hole. He hit a superb pitch to 8 feet, but never had to putt when Fitzpatrick made the winning putt.

It was the second straight runner-up finish for Scheffler, who came from 12 shots behind going into the weekend to finish one back of Rory McIlroy at the Masters. This time, he was seven behind Fitzpatrick through 36 holes and finished 64-67.

As both finished at 18-under 268, Kim closed with a 68 to finish alone in third, his fourth top 10 of the year.

- ANI

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Reader Comments

S
Sarah B
What a thrilling finish! Fitzpatrick showing nerves of steel against the world number one. Scottie's comeback was impressive too. Happy to see multiple players of Indian origin making the cut and finishing respectably.
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Vikram M
Bhatia moving up 9 places on the final day shows his fighting spirit. We need more coverage of these performances in Indian sports news. Cricket dominates everything, but our golfers are making waves globally. Well done, lads!
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Rohit P
Fitzpatrick is on a heater! Winning nearly $8.3 million in four tournaments is insane money. Respect to Scheffler for forcing the playoff, but that 4-iron approach will be replayed for years. As for our boys, solid work. Onwards and upwards!
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Priya S
While it's fantastic to see Indian-origin players doing well, I do wish the article gave a bit more context about their journeys. Many in India don't know the struggles of making it in pro golf. Still, a proud moment for the community. 👏
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Michael C
Harbour Town is such a strategic test. Fitzpatrick winning there twice shows his golf IQ. Shoutout to Sudarshan Yellamaraju for making the weekend and finishing T-53. Every start on the PGA Tour is a huge opportunity.

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