Matt Fitzpatrick reveals why RBC Heritage title ‘means more than anything’

The Englishman held his nerve to beat Jordan Spieth on the third play-off hole

Matt Fitzpatrick added a major PGA Tour crown to last year’s US Open win (Getty Images)

Matt Fitzpatrick hailed his RBC Heritage triumph as “very, very special”, describing the tournament as his most coveted crown on the PGA Tour after taking victory in South Carolina.

The Englishman outlasted Jordan Spieth to take victory on the third play-off hole, putting home for a birdie to take victory after a superb approach on to the 18th green.

Spieth had missed opportunities for the win on the first two holes of the play-off after finishing locked on 17-under-par after four rounds at Harbour Town Links.

The American had a birdie putt at the first play-off hole hit the lip but stay out, allowing Fitzpatrick the chance to seal victory.

Fitzpatrick’s Heritage crown follows his maiden major win at last year’s US Open, and the title was all the more special given the 28-year-old used to holiday near the Harbour Town course as a youngster.

“It’s hard to describe,” Fitzpatrick said of his victory. “I said to [caddie] Billy [Foster] it doesn’t get better than this – walking down here, just looking around. It’s a course I dreamed of playing when I was young.”

He added to Sky Sports: “I managed to play it a couple of times with my dad and this one means more than anything.

“Of every single one on the calendar, this is the one that I would want to win the most.”

Fitzpatrick is the first Englishman to win the tournament since Nick Faldo in 1984.

His win serves as a major confidence boost ahead of the rest of the major season, with the Yorkshireman also showing solid form at Augusta last weekend, finishing tied for tenth.

The US PGA Championship is the next major on the schedule, starting on 18 May at Oak Hill, before Fitzpatrick defends his US Open title in Los Angeles from 15 June.

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