Matt Fitzpatrick makes history and Jordan Spieth wins fans - 5 things we learned at RBC Heritage
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ByEurosport
Published 17/04/2023 at 14:29 GMT
A stellar field battled it out at the Harbour Town Golf Links where Englishman Matt Fitzpatrick eventually edged out Jordan Spieth for the RBC Heritage title and a natty addition to his wardrobe. Here are five things we learnt from the weekend as Harbour Town proves a happy hunting ground for Fitzpatrick, Jordan Spieth shines again and Patrick Cantlay answers his critics.
'I think I can retire now' - Fitzpatrick reflects on first PGA Tour title win
Harbour Town continues to provide special memories for Fitzpatrick
Matt Fitzpatrick claimed his first regular PGA Tour title - and first since last year’s U.S. Open with a dramatic play-off victory against defending champion Jordan Spieth.
His victory owed a great deal to an agonising miss from his main rival at the first play-off hole and also a majestic approach to the ionic 18th that laid the foundation for what proved to be the winning putt.
The win was extra special for Fitzpatrick having holidayed in the region with his family since he was a youngster.
“This place is just a special place for me,” he said, “and it means the world to have won it.”
Not only did the victory in the season’s latest ‘designated’ event earn him $3.6m (£2.9m), it also propelled him to a career-high 8th in the Official World Golf Ranking.
And how did he plan to celebrate? “I’ll probably have dessert, that’s as exciting as it gets,” revealed the mild-mannered Englishman.
Spieth comes second - but wins with his fans
Jordan Spieth made a valiant attempt to defend his RBC Heritage crown only to come up just short - but no doubt he remains a winner with his many fans.
Spieth has not won this season but a 14th PGA Tour win can’t be too far away with his runner-up finish at Harbour Town being his fifth Top 10 finish in his last eight events.
He started the final round two shots behind Fitzpatrick but four birdies in his first six holes brought him level with his playing partner and he would soon have the solo lead.
Late birdies from Fitzpatrick propelled them into extra holes and Spieth would have putts to win on the first two play-off holes only to see them slip by the cup.
He had no answer to Fitzpatrick’s brilliance on the next but that did not stop him signing autographs for his legion of fans as the sun set over the famous lighthouse.
Patrick Cantlay can laugh at himself - and can play this game
Patrick Cantlay has been taking a fair bit of flak of late with many concerned by the pace of his play, most recently at The Masters.
However, he shrugged off that criticism at Harbour Town with a third place finish at Harbour Town that included a brilliant hole-in-one at the par-3 7th during Friday’s second round.
His 6-iron from 191 yards was inch-perfect but his reply to his social media detractors was equally impressive. ‘Playing faster!’ he joked, alongside a clip of his impressive feat.
The eight-time PGA Tour winner wasn’t done making headlines though, with another eye-catching shot during Sunday’s final round.
On the par-3 14th, a Cantlay chip looked to be heading into the water but his ball eventually came to rest between the beams that bordered the green.
Attempting to play from there rather than take a drop looked questionable at the least, and understandably, on this occasion, he took a little time to assess his options.
His resulting effort made many of us look foolish - including World No. 1 Jon Rahm who had advised against such a decision during a brief stint in the commentary box.
PGA Tour designated events continue to deliver
The investment into a revamped PGA Tour schedule and the introduction of ‘designated’ events with guaranteed big names and prize funds continues to reap rich dividends.
The final round leaderboard was stacked with talent and crowd-pleasing big names with Scottie Scheffler, Jon Rahm, Justin Thomas and Rickie Fowler joining the likes of Fitzpatrick and Spieth in the mix. Bumper crowds greeted them throughout the tournament.
Special praise must go to Rahm who chose to tee it up just a few days after his Masters success when he could have been excused a few days off - but he wasn’t thinking about himself.
The Spaniard’s attitude is all the more impressive following the withdrawal of Rory McIlroy in the wake of his disappointing showing at Augusta, a decision that is reportedly set to cost him $3m in terms of bonus payments from the Tour having already skipped one designated event this season.
That said, the demands of the 12 designated events are clearly putting a strain on the world’s best this year but that will not continue with that number set to drop to eight next season (outside of the majors, PLAYERS Championship and FedEx Cup events) with no minimum requirement.
Golf can be really hard at times
Two-time PGA Tour winner Russell Knox offered hope to us all with a hole-to-forget during the opening round.
A steady but unspectacular round saw the Scotsman arrive at the 16th tee at level par but he would leave it having achieved something remarkable.
Thankfully for him, cameras were not there to capture any of his 10 shots but the PGA Tour's own shot tracker paints a painful picture.
His opening drive found a bunker on the left of the fairway before he sent his second into the ‘unknown’ to force a re-take from the same bunker.
He was unable to escape the trap with his next before his fifth effort was once again lost into the ‘unknown’ which cost him yet another penalty. His seventh shot found another bunker - this time next to the green - although he managed to miss the putting surface with his recovery shot.
To his credit, he managed an up and down from there for a 10 and would bounce back with two pars to close his round but he would eventually miss the cut.
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