“I think I can retire now” - Matt Fitzpatrick after beating Jordan Spieth to take the 2023 RBC Heritage win
For Matt Fitzpatrick, the win at the 2023 RBC Heritage meant more than just another win. In his own words, it's something he's dreamed of since childhood when he started vacationing there.
When Fitzpatrick was 6, his family came here for vacation. They loved it so much that they made several more trips to South Carolina Lowcountry.
“I think I can retire now," said Fitzpatrick after winning the RBC title. "This one is the one that I’ve always wanted to win. There isn’t a higher one on my list to win than this one, and that’s the truth. My family can tell you that, and my friends can tell you the same thing. This place is just a special place for me, and it means the world to have won it.”
Fitzpatrick beat defending champion Jordan Spieth on the third playoff hole to win the Tartan Jacket, claiming his second PGA Tour victory.
After four days and 72 holes of play, Spieth and Fitzpatrick finished at 17-under 267 to force into the playoffs for the result. While the current U.S. Open champion carded a final round of 3-under 68, Spieth posted a total of 5-under 66 on Sunday.
Spieth, who was looking to defend his RBC title on Sunday, started really well with four birdies in the first six holes to recover the two-stroke margin, but the 28-year-old Englishman came back with a birdie on the 15th and 16th holes to tie for the lead.
"I needed a lot of things to go right," Spieth was quoted saying as per CBS Sports. "I needed to birdie the 18th then needed some help, got some help, dodged a bunch of bullets coming in, and ended up in a one-on-one playoff where my lie in the bunker, although not great, was certainly better than Patrick's."
Fitzpatrick is now World No. 8 in the OWGR.
Patrick Cantlay finished third after he shot a 3-under 68, aggregating at 16 under. Notably, Cantlay came close to winning last year as well when he lost to Spieth in the playoffs.
Xander Schauffele ended up in fourth place after a 66 on the final day. Sahith Theegala and Hayden Buckley were tied for fifth at 13-under.
2023 RBC Heritage Leaderboard
- 1 Matt Fitzpatrick -17
- 2 Jordan Spieth -17
- 3 Patrick Cantlay -16
- 4 Xander Schauffele -15
- T5 Hayden Buckley -14
- T5 Sahith Theegala -14
- T7 Cam Davis -13
- T7 Emiliano Grillo -13
- T7 Brian Harman -13
- T7 Sungjae Im -13
- T11 Mark Hubbard -12
- T11 Taylor Moore -12
- T11 Chez Reavie -12
- T11 Scottie Scheffler -12
- T15 Sam Burns -11
- T15 Tommy Fleetwood -11
- T15 Rickie Fowler -11
- T15 Jon Rahm -11
- T19 Christiaan Bezuidenhout -10
- T19 Tyrrell Hatton -10
- T19 Russell Henley -10
- T19 Matt Kuchar -10
- T19 Patrick Rodgers -10
- T19 Carson Young -10
- T25 Denny McCarthy -9
- T25 Justin Rose -9
- T25 Justin Thomas -9
- T25 Jimmy Walker -9
- T29 Wyndham Clark -8
- T29 Michael Thompson -8
- T31 Corey Conners -7
- T31 Tony Finau -7
- T31 Ben Griffin -7
- T31 Beau Hossler -7
- T31 Patton Kizzire -7
- T31 Nate Lashley -7
- T31 Collin Morikawa -7
- T31 Adam Schenk -7
- T31 Adam Scott -7
- T31 Gary Woodland -7