HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. (AP) — Matt Fitzpatrick of England delivered another magnificent shot in a playoff at Harbour Town on Sunday to quiet the pro-American crowd and take down the world’s best player, hitting 4-iron to 13 feet for birdie to defeat Scottie Scheffler for his second title in the RBC Heritage.
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.
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The large gallery that was allowed to come onto the fairway short of the 18th green in regulation filled the Calibogue Sound with endless chants of “U-S-A! U-S-A!” They returned outside the ropes to see Fitzpatrick hit 4-iron into a stiff breeze to a pin just over the bunker.
Scheffler followed with his worst swing of the day, a 6-iron he fanned so badly that it 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.
They finished at 18-under 268. The playoff was almost a repeat from when Fitzpatrick defeated another American favorite, Jordan Spieth, in a playoff at the RBC Heritage three years ago.
Fitzpatrick won for the second time in the last month. After a runner-up finish at The Players, he won the Valspar Championship. The victory, his fourth on the PGA Tour and 13th worldwide, moves him to a career-high No. 3 in the world ranking.
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PGA of America and PGA Tour Champions
BRADENTON, Fla. (AP) — Stewart Cink pulled away from the field with an astonishing stretch around the turn Sunday to close with a 9-under 63 for a six-shot victory in the Senior PGA Championship, his first senior major and third win of the year on the PGA Tour Champions.
Cink was one shot behind going into the final round at Concession Golf Club, and then he removed all drama with a remarkable run.
It started with an eagle on the par-5 seventh. He closed out the front nine with back-to-back birdies to seize control, and then he poured it on with a 35-foot birdie putt up the slope and with perfect speed that took the break and dropped for birdie on the par-3 11th.
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Cink, who won the 2009 British Open in a playoff over Tom Watson at Turnberry, finished at 19-under 269, missing by one shot the record to par of 20 under by Sam Snead in the 1973 Senior PGA at PGA National.
Ben Crane closed with a 68 to finish second.
LIV Golf League
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Jon Rahm capped off a chaotic week on LIV Golf when he closed with a 7-under 64 for a six-shot victory Sunday in LIV Golf Mexico City, his second victory this year on the Saudi-funded circuit.
The week has been filled with uncertainty surrounding the Saudi-funded league, with CEO Scott O’Neil writing a memo to staff to say LIV was assured of funding through the end of the year amid reports speculating about the league’s financial future.
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Bryson DeChambeau withdrew from the final round, citing an injury to his wrist that he did not want to further aggravate. DeChambeau, who was trying to become the first player to win three straight times on LIV Golf, was 16 shots behind Rahm when he stopped playing.
Rahm motored along, and so did his Legion XIII team, which won for the first time this year.
Korn Ferry Tour
TULUM, Mexico (AP) — Dylan Menante played bogey-free Sunday and closed with a 9-under 63 to pull away in the Tulum Championship at PGA Riviera Maya and win by six shots for his first title on the Korn Ferry Tour.
Blades Brown, the 18-year-old who graduated high school in January, stumbled out of the blocks with another chance to win his first pro tournament. Brown closed with three birdies in his last four holes to salvage a 70 and finish alone in second. The consolation was moving to 10th on the Korn Ferry Tour points list.
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The top 20 at the end of the season earn PGA Tour cards.
Menante was one shot behind Brown going into the final round and had four birdies in six-hole stretch on the front nine, and then adding five birdies on the back nine to finish at 19-under 269.
Other tours
Agathe Laisne of France closed with a 4-under 69 and won the Joburg Ladies Open on the fifth playoff hole for her second title this year on the Ladies European Tour. Casandra Alexander bogeyed the last hole for a 66 that led to the playoff and was eliminated with par on the first extra hole. Laisne outlasted Kirsten Rudgeley (67) on the fifth extra hole at the par-5 18th that was reduced to a 78-yard pitch-and-putt contest because of fading sunlight. … Mason Greene shot 4-under 67 for a two-shot victory in the ECP Brazil Open at the Rio Olympic Golf Club, the opener of the PGA Tour Americas season. … Sayaka Takahashi closed with a 4-under 68 to hold off Ai Suzuki and win the KKT Cup Vantelin Ladies Open on the Japan LPGA. … Minsun Kim closed with a 3-under 69 for a one-shot victory over Yesung Jun in the Nexen Saint Nine Masters on the Korea LPGA.
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