The Valspar Championship

England’s Matt Fitzpatrick claimed a stunning single stroke victory at this year’s Valspar Championship by clinching a 14-foot birdie putt on the 18^th green, finishing a single stroke ahead of American David Lipsky.

Fitzpatrick started his Sunday T4 alongside his compatriot Marco Penge as they trailed Sungjae Im, Brandt Snedeker, and David Lipsky. The South Korean fell away from the lead with a disastrous 4 bogeys in his front 9, while veteran tour player Brand Snedeker collapsed on his back 9, dropping 4 strokes between the 12^th and 17^th holes.

Despite making 5 birdies on his final round, Marco Penge carded just as many bogeys and failed to threaten the lead. Fitzpatrick played consistently and made birdies on his 3^rd and 15^th holes to chase Lipsky who had birdied his 1^st and 14^th holes. Lipsky had dropped a shot on his 5^th hole, meaning come the 18^th hole both players were level, and it was all to play for.

Having fired his approach shot onto the green to the right of the flag, Matt Fitzpatrick was left eyeing up a 14-foot birdie putt. He found the back of the hole and celebrated with a fist-pump among a roar of approval from the spectators surrounding the 18^th green. Lipsky found his approach shot just right of the green and failed to roll in a long birdie effort, handing Fitzpatrick victory.

It was a remarkable feat from Fitzpatrick considering he narrowly missed out on the Players Championship earlier this month. At TPC Sawgrass he was leading by 1 stroke on the 17^th tee only to lose to Cameron Young on the final hole.

“To come away with a win this week is really special, considering last week’s performance as well. I’ll be honest, it wasn’t an ideal putt (on 18). I wouldn’t say I was overly keen on it considering my putting performance but to get it done was special.”

The Masters takes place in just a few weeks’ time, and the most anticipated tournament of the year is on everyone’s minds, especially the players'. The 2022 U.S. Open Champion has shown he can win a major, but he’s determined to keep his expectations grounded in reality.

“I’m obviously very confident in my game right now but what it takes to win a major is very different to what it takes to win on the PGA Tour. Particularly the Masters, there’s extra pressure on the Masters, no matter who you are. It just has that standing above all the other events, as well as the majors.”

It was incredible scenes watching Rory’s career grand slam come to fruition last year, but who do you think will come away with a green jacket this time around? We can’t wait for all the action to commence at Augusta.