Golf roundup: Matt Fitzpatrick birdies final hole to win Valspar Championship
England's Matt Fitzpatrick got the job done a week after coming up just short. Fitzpatrick made a 14-foot putt for birdie on the final hole and waited for two groups behind him to finish, winning the Valspar Championship by shooting 3-under-par 68 on Sunday at Palm Harbor, Fla. "I was playing well going into this week, obviously wanted to continue that and I felt like I had confidence in myself to do so," Fitzpatrick said.
"Then obviously to sort of do that over four rounds was special this week. " It was a form of redemption for Fitzpatrick, who a week earlier was the runner-up in The Players Championship. Fitzpatrick finished at 11-under 273 on Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club's Copperhead Course, one stroke better than David Lipsky to secure his third victory on the PGA Tour.
To drain a pressure putt added to the pleasure. "To get it done like that was special," Fitzpatrick said. Lipsky, who posted 70, almost rolled in a 33-foot birdie putt on No.
18 to force a playoff, but needed a tap-in to finish his round. It was nearly an incredible recovery after his tee shot was in the fairway rough on that hole. Yet the week's work marked a significant step for Lipsky.
"This week was an awesome week and I'm really looking forward to seeing what events I get into the rest of the year and trying to play my way into those playoffs," Lipsky said. Fitzpatrick had a consistent tournament, turning in 68s for the first, third and fourth rounds. He last won on the tour at the 2023 RBC Heritage.