The Florida Swing concluded in dramatic fashion with Matt Fitzpatrick pouring in a 14-foot putt for birdie on the 72nd hole to win the Valspar Championship by one stroke over David Lipsky. For Fitzpatrick, the scene was a copy-paste from one week prior at TPC Sawgrass: tied for the lead with one hole to play. This time, however, he closed the deal.
“I felt like last week I played so well right until the end,” Fitzpatrick said, reflecting on his loss to Cameron Young one week ago at THE PLAYERS. “To lose the way I did, it’s always disappointing. This week was important to get back on the horse and try and push myself to continue playing well.”
The Leaderboard Shakes Up Early
Fitzpatrick started the day three strokes back of the 54-hole leader, Sungjae Im, who got off to a poor start on Sunday. Im’s two-stroke lead over Brandt Snedeker quickly evaporated after going out in +4 (40) in a bogey-riddled opening nine, dropping him out of contention.
With Snedeker tied for the lead with nine holes to play, the story of the week was shaping into Snedeker’s return to the winner’s circle after almost eight years—his last win was at the 2018 Wyndham Championship where he fired a blistering opening round 59. What the 45-year-old PGA TOUR veteran lacked in distance off the tee compared to the younger cohort in the field, he made up for in experience. Using the firmness of the course to his advantage, the nine-time PGA TOUR winner played driver off the deck multiple times from the tee, creating controlled low apex runners that put him into position rather than a “bomb and gouge” approach.
Snedeker’s putting saved him all week, an area he’s improved since switching to a mallet putter after playing a blade for 23 years. The switch appears to have paid off. He had nine putts through the first eight holes on Sunday and ranked first in strokes gained putting in both the first and third rounds.
But he wasn’t able to putt his way out of every situation coming down the back nine of the final round. A three-putt double bogey on 12 followed by a bogey on the par-3 13th derailed his bid back to the winners circle. Snedeker finished with a final round 76, -4 on the week, tied for 18th.
As Snedeker faltered, the remaining traffic atop the leaderboard tied at -9 was left to battle it out. On a challenging course like the Copperhead Course that meant holding on and not dropping shots as much as it did trying to make birdies at some of the most difficult closing holes in golf.
Fitzpatrick’s Bogey-Free Weekend
It was Matt Fitzpatrick and David Lipsky who broke out of the pack, both getting to -10 with one hole to play. With Fitzpatrick in the group ahead, his mission was clear: post a number and apply pressure.
Fitzpatrick did exactly that, making his 14-foot birdie putt with an emphatic fist pump among a gigantic roar from the Florida crowd that had been supportive of the Englishman all week.
The crowd at Innisbrook who followed Fitzpatrick had a lot to cheer for. Fitzpatrick was bogey-free on the weekend and led the field in scrambling for the tournament. He was 100% in scrambling over the weekend. Despite hitting just over half of the greens in regulation (10/18) on Sunday, he was 8-for-8 in scrambling to maintain a clean final round scorecard.
The 9-time DP World Tour winner made just four bogeys all week—a testament to Fitzpatrick’s shot control and deft short game on one of the TOUR’s most demanding layouts.
The win marks Fitzpatrick’s third PGA TOUR victory and his first since the 2023 RBC Heritage.
As his birdie putt dropped on the 72nd hole, Fitzpatrick became the third Englishman to win the Valspar Championship, joining Paul Casey and Luke Donald. His bogey-free final round also places him alongside Donald (2012) and Kevin Streelman (2013) as the only players to accomplish the feat at the event.
The victory moves Fitzpatrick to No. 6 in the Official World Golf Ranking and No. 3 in the FedExCup standings.
Horses for Courses
Relative to par, the Copperhead Course at Innisbrook played the most difficult of any course on the PGA TOUR this season. Fitzpatrick’s -11 finish is the highest winning score of the 2026 season, two strokes higher than THE PLAYERS at TPC Sawgrass and four strokes higher than the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill. The Copperhead Course played firm, fast, and unforgiving. It’s exactly the type of test Fitzpatrick relishes.
Difficult courses suit him.
“I hate birdie-fests. I don’t like playing where it’s spinning back five yards, ‘aim and fire,’” Fitzpatrick said during his post-round interview with the press. “I like the tough tests.”
Fitzpatrick is more of a technician when it comes to course strategy. He prefers the challenge of a demanding golf course like TPC Sawgrass or Copperhead Course where you have to control your ball and plan out where to hit it, or perhaps more importantly, where not to miss it. More demanding courses better suit his approach to the game, one that is driven by collecting data to gain an understanding of how his past shotmaking tendencies might inform future outcomes of a given hole at a given time.
A self-proclaimed “data weirdo,” Fitzpatrick logs every shot he hits. “Actual shots I’ve logged I’d probably say 5,000. Maybe 6,000.” Fitzpatrick uses this data to better understand what areas of his game are lacking, how much he needs to practice and specifically which part of his game he needs to practice depending on the course his next tournament is.
It’s a system built over years, and it’s paying off.
Fitzpatrick has been one of the most consistent players on tour this year. He has made seven cuts in seven starts this season, with five top-25 finishes. After beginning the year 99th in the FedExCup standings, he climbed to eighth following his runner-up finish at THE PLAYERS and now sits third after his victory at the Valspar.
The turnaround is notable.
Just a year ago, Fitzpatrick was searching. He changed caddies, struggled with consistency, and missed cuts at both THE PLAYERS and the Valero Texas Open.
“That’s the way golf is,” he said. “It’s not easy.”
A key to his recent resurgence has been his approach play. “My irons are just so much better.” The 31-year-old said. “Better distance control. Better accuracy left to right. Hitting the shape that I want to hit.”
Fitzpatrick credits a range session with coach Mark Blackburn after Thursday’s round at THE PLAYERS as a turning point, one that has carried through his last seven rounds and culminated in a win.
Lipsky’s Close Call
For Lipsky, the week represented a near breakthrough. Seeking his first PGA TOUR victory, he embraced the challenge of Copperhead, and despite coming up one shot short, he almost pulled it off.
“This course has teeth,” Lipsky said. “It’s tough out there, especially with the wind and the greens firming up, there are times you have to play safe out here and it’s part of the deal. The course is tough, but overall I’m really happy with how patient I was.”
Standing near his ball in the rough on the 18th hole, Lipsky heard the roar as Fitzpatrick’s birdie putt fell. “I guess I gotta hit this close.” Lipsky said with a laugh, recalling the thought that ran through his head before playing his approach to the green. From a difficult lie in the rough and between clubs, Lipsky chose an aggressive play to give himself a chance in the birdie-or-bust situation. “It was close. Hats off to Matt for making that putt.”
Big Moves on the Aon Swing 5 Leaderboard
David Lipsky’s solo second finish at the Valspar Championship vaulted him to the top of the Aon Swing 5 leaderboard, up 30 spots from last week. Jordan Smith and Marco Penge also made massive moves, up 56 and 55 spots respectively to take 3rd and 4th spots. S.H. Kim rounds out the current Aon Swing 5 after his T7 finish at the demanding Copperhead Course at Innisbrook Golf Resort, moving up 28 spots.
Here are the current Aon Swing 5 standings after the Valspar:
- David Lipsky
- Chandler Blanchet
- Jordan Smith
- Marco Penge
- S.H. Kim
Looking Ahead to the Masters
Coming off a second place finish at THE PLAYERS and a win at the Valspar Championship, Fitzpatrick will take a lot of confidence with him when he drives down Magnolia Lane heading toward the storied clubhouse at Augusta National in two weeks. The Englishman is well aware, however, of the difference between winning on the PGA TOUR and winning a major, let alone the Masters and the extra prestige and pressure that tournament carries.
“There’s stuff that I still want to work on coming away from this week. There’s stuff that I want to improve and want to make sure that I’m ready for when I get to Augusta to be ready to play on Thursday morning.” Fitzpatrick said looking ahead to the Masters. “I’m really looking forward to that week.”
