Valspar Championship: England's Matt Fitzpatrick bounces back from The Players near miss to claim first PGA Tour title since 2023
Matt Fitzpatrick (-11) came back from disappointment at The Players to take the Valspar Championship with a birdie on the last hole; America's David Lipsky was edged out while England's Jordan Smith took third
Monday 23 March 2026 08:11, UK
Matt Fitzpatrick bounced back from his final-hole disappointment at last week's Players Championship to birdie the last and win the Valspar Championship by a stroke for his first PGA Tour victory in almost three years.
The Englishman displayed superb consistency as he shot 68-69 over the weekend with just six birdies and 30 pars, but the most important of the shots he picked up was at the Copperhead Course's tough 18th hole.
His late birdie edged him ahead of America's David Lipsky by one shot, with the contest appearing set for a play-off. England's Jordan Smith was a further shot back, with Xander Schauffele finishing on eight under after a magnificent 65 on Sunday.
- Leaderboard: The Valspar Championship (external site)
- Got Sky? Watch golf and more LIVE on your phone
- Not got Sky? Get Sky Sports or stream no contract
Tied with Lipsky on 10 under going into the final hole, Fitzpatrick hit his approach to just inside 14 feet and holed for his first birdie in 12 attempts on that hole.
It left the American, in the group behind, needing to match that to force a play-off but his 32-foot attempt came up just short.
For Fitzpatrick it was some consolation having finished a stroke short last week after bogeying the final hole at Sawgrass and being pipped by Cameron Young, with this win the ideal confidence boost ahead of next month's Masters.
Fitzpatrick determined not to 'coast' after Players disappointment
Speaking afterwards, Fitzpatrick said: "I felt like last week I played so well right until the end. To lose the way I did, it's always disappointing.
"It always feels like it takes a little out of you when you spend four days of your life battling to try and get that top spot and you lose it right at the death.
"That is always difficult to take so this week was important to get back on the horse, try and push myself to continue playing well.
"It was frustrating [at The Players]. It was a weird feeling because I didn't really feel like I did much wrong coming down the stretch. I hit a lot of really good shots on that back nine.
"I played way better on the back nine last Sunday than I did on the back nine this Sunday, for example.
"Obviously there's more frustration when you don't feel like you've done a lot wrong, you don't feel like you've lost it, you feel like someone's come and taken it away from you
"I made sure that this week I didn't coast. I knew that I was playing well and it was like 'let's just keep pushing and give ourselves the best chance we can'."
Fellow Englishman Smith's five-under 66 got him to nine under and into third, while compatriot Marco Penge was also in contention until he bogeyed the 16th, finishing in a tie for fourth on eight under after a 68.
Get the best prices and book a round at one of 1,700 courses across the UK & Ireland
