Fitzpatrick Claims Valspar Championship with Clutch Final Putt
Matt Fitzpatrick buried the 15-foot birdie putt on 18 that mattered most, capturing the Valspar Championship by a single shot over David Lipsky with a final-round 68 on Sunday at Innisbrook’s punishing Copperhead course.
It’s a redemption story just one week after Fitzpatrick’s near-miss at The Players Championship, where Cameron Young edged him on the final hole.
“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.”
The 29-year-old Englishman played a bogey-free final round on a course that systematically dismantled the hopes of several contenders. His victory marks his third PGA Tour title to complement his nine European tour wins, including last November’s DP World Tour Championship.
The sunbaked Copperhead course proved merciless all week. Putting surfaces showed yellowing signs from the opening round, with conditions growing increasingly firm and fast each day.
The final hour evolved into a duel with Lipsky, the 37-year-old American who’s won on four different tours worldwide but never on the PGA Tour. Fitzpatrick seized the lead with a 30-foot birdie on the par-3 15th, only for Lipsky to answer with a 7-footer on 14 to pull even.
But Fitzpatrick had the final say. His perfect birdie putt on 18 produced an emphatic fist pump, while Lipsky’s 30-foot attempt to force a playoff slid just left of the cup.
“I was right in between clubs,” Lipsky said about his approach to 18. “I took a more aggressive play. Almost pulled it off. It was close. Hats off to Matt.”
Despite the disappointment, it’s a breakthrough week for Lipsky, who began 2024 with conditional status after finishing 107th last season. The runner-up finish vaults him to 33rd in the FedEx Cup standings and likely secures him a spot in a signature event after the Masters.
Fitzpatrick finished at 11-under 273, with England’s Jordan Smith taking third place.
Sungjae Im, who held the lead since Thursday’s opening round, watched his three-shot advantage evaporate quickly as his putter went ice cold. The South Korean shot 40 on the front nine and didn’t make his first birdie until the 11th hole, posting a final-round 74 to fall into a tie for fourth.
Brandt Snedeker, the 45-year-old Presidents Cup captain seeking his first win since August 2018, birdied the opening hole but couldn’t find another. He stood tied for the lead at the turn.
“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 I’ve been making all week dried up today.”
A crushing double-bogey on 12 began a back-nine collapse that led to a 76 and a tie for 17th.
Marco Penge briefly shared the lead before bogeys at 12 and 16 derailed his chances. His birdie at the last secured a 71 and a tie for fourth alongside Im and Xander Schauffele, who posted a 65.
Schauffele actually packed up to drive home to south Florida after his round, but seeing the leaderboard and the challenging conditions, decided to stick around. He finally departed two hours later when Smith’s 9-under total made a playoff unlikely.
For Fitzpatrick, the win erases the sting of last week’s near-miss at Sawgrass, where his drive on the final hole that he thought was “right down the middle” ran through into pine needles, forcing a layup that led to a missed par putt and second place.
This time, when it mattered most, his putter delivered the perfect response.
