Fitzpatrick goes from
disappointment to winning at Valspar Championship
[March 23, 2026]
By DOUG FERGUSON
PALM HARBOR, Fla. (AP) Matt Fitzpatrick took longer than usual to
get over his loss last week at The Players Championship, mainly
because he played so well and did so little wrong until Cameron
Young won on the difference of one tee shot at final hole.
To lose it right at the death is always difficult to take,
Fitzpatrick said.
Seven days later, he found the best antidote. Fitzpatrick was locked
in a duel with David Lipsky in the final hour at the Valspar
Championship and this time delivered the goods, a birdie putt from
just inside 15 feet on the final hole for a 3-under 68 and a
one-shot victory.
I knew that I was playing well, Fitzpatrick said. And it was
like, Lets just keep pushing and give ourselves the best chance we
can.'
That's all he could asked on a tough Copperhead course at Innisbrook
that doomed 54-hole leader Sungjae Im and crushed the hopes of
45-year-old Presidents Cup captain Brandt Snedeker. They were among
five players who had a share of the lead at some point, all jostling
for position.
Fitzpatrick missed four birdie chances from inside 10 feet in a
seven-hole stretch around the turn, his body language indicating he
was letting it slip away. His big surprise was seeing a leaderboard
at the turn that showed him tied he figured he would be a few
shots behind.
And then he holed a 30-foot birdie putt on the par-3 15th to take
the lead, only for Lipsky playing in the group behind him to
make a 7-foot birdie on the 14th to catch him.
Fitzpatrick, who won the DP World Tour Championship to close out the
European tour season last November, had the final say. His birdie
putt was pure and the 2022 U.S. Open champion was emphatic thrusting
his fist down to celebrate.
Lipsky's birdie chance from just outside 30 feet on the 18th just
missed to the left. He closed with a 70 to match his best finish on
tour.
The victory for Fitzpatrick, his third on the PGA Tour to go along
with nine European tour titles, came one week after he had a
one-shot lead going to the 17th hole at the TPC Sawgrass only for
Young to make birdie and win with a par on the closing hole when
Fitzpatrick's tee shot ran through the fairway and forced him to lay
up. He missed a 7-foot par putt to force a playoff.
But there was no letdown at Innisbrook.
The big thing was I felt I was playing well, Fitzpatrick said. I
wanted to continue that and felt like I had the confidence in myself
to do so. To do that for four rounds was special this week.
Fitzpatrick finished at 11-under 273 on a Copperhead course that was
a stern test, with the putting surfaces already having a yellow
sheen during the opening round and the course getting firmer and
faster each day under an abundance of sun.
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Matt Fitzpatrick celebrates his birdie putt on the 18th hole during
the final round of the Valspar Championship golf tournament Sunday,
March 22, 2026, in Palm Harbor, Fla. (AP Photo/Jason Behnken)
Lipsky missed a birdie chance from 15 feet at the
par-3 17th on about the same line as Fitzpatrick missed moments
earlier and his tee shot went into a quirky lie in the rough on
the 18th. Adding to the difficulty was hearing the big roar ahead
when Fitzpatrick made birdie.
I was right in between clubs, Lipsky said. I took a more
aggressive play. Almost pulled it off. It was close. Hats off to
Matt.
It still was a big week for Lipsky, who began the year with
conditional status after finishing at No. 107. He moves to No. 33 in
the FedEx Cup and is likely to get him into the next signature event
a week after the Masters.
Jordan Smith of England finished third.
Im began the final round with a three-shot lead, and that was gone
quickly due to a putter that went cold on him. The South Korean, who
had led since the opening round, shot 40 on the front nine and
didn't make his first birdie until the 11th hole. He closed with a
74 and tied for fourth.
Snedeker, the 45-year-old who last won in August 2018, birdied the
opening hole and didn't make another birdie. He was still tied for
the lead until three-putting for double bogey on the 12th hole, the
start of a rough back nine that sent him to a 40 and a 76 to tie for
17th.
Stood on the 10th tee tied for the lead, which is all you can do,
Snedeker said. My swing left me on the back nine. I really
struggled. ... All those putts Ive been making all week dried up
today.
Marco Penge, among five players tied for the lead at some point in
the final round, fell back with bogeys on Nos. 12 and 16. He birdied
the 18th for a 71 to join Im and Xander Schauffele (65) in a tie for
fourth.
Schauffele finished his round and was ready to drive home to south
Florida when he looked at the leaderboard and realized he probably
needed to stick around given how firm it was. He finally left two
hours later when Smith posted at 9-under 275.
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