Matt Fitzpatrick has revealed that a well-timed impression of Rory McIlroy’s caddie by his own bagman helped lighten the mood and reset his focus before he went on to defeat world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler in a playoff to claim his second RBC Heritage title at Harbour Town.

The Englishman had enjoyed a commanding week in South Carolina, taking a three-shot lead into Sunday’s final round. But Scheffler, never one to surrender without a fight, reeled off a series of late birdies to trim that advantage to just one shot heading into the 18th hole, setting up a nervy finish.

Matt Fitzpatrick defeated Scottie Scheffler at the RBC Heritage in a play-off and banked $3.6 million, joining Chris Gotterup as the only multiple 2026 winners.

Both players missed the green to the right with their approach shots. Scheffler played a superb pitch that settled just inches from the cup, while Fitzpatrick failed to read the pace of the fast surface correctly, leaving his chip well short and handing over a bogey. The lead was gone. A playoff beckoned.

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As the pair made their way back to the 18th tee, caddie Daniel Parratt reached for a line that had become famous just weeks earlier, channelling Rory McIlroy‘s caddie Harry Diamond, who had offered his player a similar word of reassurance during the Masters.

“Yeah, you know, he actually said getting to the tee, he said, we’d have taken this start of the week, and I know Rory said that the other week,” Fitzpatrick told CBS broadcaster Amanda Balionis on the 18th green after the win.

“I jokingly said to Dan, I was like, oh okay, here he is, Harry Diamond here. Yeah, we had a good laugh about that.” The moment of levity proved well-timed. Fitzpatrick stepped onto the tee relaxed and in control, and what followed was one of the shots of the tournament.

With a stiff breeze in his face and the playoff on the line, he flushed a 4-iron to 12 feet. “I felt like I was in a good spot, and to hit the 4-iron that I hit there was out of this world,” he said. Scheffler, by contrast, fluffed his approach and was left scrambling, managing only to get his third shot to a few feet.

It didn’t matter. Fitzpatrick rolled in the birdie putt to seal the win on the 73rd hole of the week.
For Fitzpatrick, the victory carries a weight that goes beyond trophies and ranking points. He has now won the RBC Heritage twice and holds the tournament in the highest regard.

“Yeah, it means the world. It means the world,” he said. “This is a tournament I wanted to win growing up, arguably more than any of the majors before I understood about the game. To win it twice means the world. To go out today and go toe-to-toe with Scottie and get over the line there on the 73rd is special.”