In an entertaining final round that epitomised what the PGA Tour was hoping for from its “designated” events, Matt Fitzpatrick made a couple of late birdies to chase down defending champion Jordan Spieth in regulation, then won the RBC Heritage with a tap-in birdie on the third playoff hole for his second PGA Tour title.
Fitzpatrick held the lead through 54 holes at Harbour Town Golf Links, but after a bogey at the seventh hole today, he made the turn in just one-under for the round as Spieth sprinted to the front. Two shots behind going to the par-3 14th, Fitzpatrick birdied the 15th and 16th holes to tie things up before essentially closing things out with a stunning 9-iron approach shot from 171 metres (187 yards) on the third playoff hole (a return to the par-4 18th) that nearly rolled into the cup.
Although Fitzpatrick ranked seventh in strokes gained/approach the green, picking up more than six shots on the field with his Ping S55 irons, it was around the green where the 28-year-old Englishman shone. For the tournament, he converted 20 of 24 scrambling opportunities to keep rounds going, then converting enough birdie tries to rank second in putts per green in regulation while only taking 25.4 putts per round.
Fitzpatrick’s putter is a Bettinardi DASS prototype made specifically for him; it’s a mirror image of the Yes! Tracy II model he used since he was 16 years old. Fitzpatrick put the blade-style putter – which includes face grooves just like the Tracy II – in play in 2020. As for his wedges, he carries a trio of Titleist Vokey wedges with True Temper S300 shafts.
That Fitzpatrick won here is proof karma does exist. Fitzpatrick has the famed lighthouse stitched on his bag each time he plays the event and his praise for the Harbour Town layout runs high.
“Aside from Augusta, it’s my favourite golf course,” he said after the third round. “It really is. I love coming here to play it. I’ve not had the best results around here. I’ve had a couple good runs and a couple poor ones, but I really enjoy the design, enjoy the test, and I think it’s a great golf course.”
After the win, the results just got better and his enjoyment of the place probably a bit higher.
What Matt Fitzpatrick had in the bag at the 2023 RBC Heritage:
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
Driver: Titleist TSi3 (Mitsubishi Tensei AV Raw Orange 65 TX), 9 degrees
3-wood: Ping G425 Max, 17.5 degrees
7-wood: Ping G410, 20.5 degrees
Irons (4): Ping i210; (5-PW): Ping S55
Wedges: Titleist Vokey SM9 (52, 56); Titleist Vokey WedgeWorks (60 degrees)
Putter: Bettinardi DASS prototype
