It took a week longer than hoped, but Matt Fitzpatrick pulled off a come-from-behind win on Sunday, clinching a one-shot win at the 2026 Valspar Championship and his first PGA Tour win since 2023. Almost ending his drought at The Players Championship, Fitzpatrick instead finished the job 450 miles south outside of Tampa, Florida.
This time, Fitzpatrick held off David Lipsky from the following group and came from behind to win with a 3-under 68, extending his lead to 11 under par. The 2022 U.S. Open champion started the day with a shot at lead Sung-jae Lim on holes 18, 36 and 54, leaving with a 2-over 74 that included four bogeys in the first eight holes.
After Yim fell back, Fitzpatrick quickly moved into a share of the lead at 9 under. Both Yim and this week’s biggest surprise, 45-year-old Brandt Snedeker, struggled to find traction in the final bracket, and by the time they reached the back nine, they were no longer part of the conversation.
The battle on the back nine was fierce, with everyone in the last few groups struggling to hit quality shots on an increasingly difficult golf course. Fitzpatrick eventually broke away from the pack and made a 30-foot birdie on the par-3 15th hole to take the sole lead at 10 under.
Lipsky birdied the trailing group on the par-5 14th and quickly joined him, making it a tournament that was good for everyone as they headed into the always difficult snake pit. Fitzpatrick and Lipsky each made par on the 16th, then hit great tee shots to within 15 feet on the long par-3 17th. However, neither was able to hole a birdie putt. On the 18th, Fitzpatrick screwed his drive into the narrow fairway and was able to throw a dart 14 feet below the hole, where he sank another big putt to take the lead.
This time, Lipsky could not find an answer after driving roughly and only held for par. This gave Fitzpatrick a complete victory. What felt like a bit of cosmic justice after a great play late at TPC Sawgrass was broken by an incredible play from Cameron Young.
The win was Fitzpatrick’s first since the 2023 RBC Heritage, and solidified his status as one of the best players on the PGA Tour this season. After a slump in 2024 and a slow start in 2025, Fitzpatrick started to pick up in the middle of last year and has maintained that momentum to get off to a great start into 2026. Still, he needed a win to secure his return to the top of the sport. And on Sunday, he got it in come-from-behind fashion on a difficult course. Grade: A+
Here are the performances of other notable players on the 2026 Valspar Championship leaderboard:
3. Jordan Smith (-9): Smith shot a 5-under 66 on Sunday and led for long periods in the clubhouse, but Fitzpatrick and Lipsky eventually chipped away at the lead. Still, Smith’s final-round charge earned him a career-best finish and his second career top 10 on the PGA Tour, a significant achievement for the Briton who banked some coveted FedEx Cup points this week. Grade: A-
T4. Xander Schauffele (-8): Schauffele held the clubhouse lead at 8 under for perhaps longer than expected until Smith hit 9 under. His 6-under 65 was one of his rounds of the day, and he will likely be feeling bad for not playing well enough on Friday and Saturday, and will take advantage of Sunday’s collapse at the top to gain an advantage. Schauffele continues to move in the right direction with his game, but the final piece of the puzzle is the most difficult, as he must figure out how to put all 72 holes together if he is to end his winless drought. Grade: B
T4. Im Sung Jae (-8): All Im needed on Sunday was an even-par performance in the final round to win, but he quickly faltered with five bogeys in his first 10 holes (no birdies during that time). He had some rallies on the back nine to stay in the top 10, but this tournament was his and he couldn’t grab that trophy. Overall, after a tough start in the first two games of the season, there have been some bright spots for Yim this week. He will aim to build on what he has done in the first three days to win the competition. Still, this would have been his third PGA Tour win of his career. Instead, he barely participated in the back nine coverage. Grade: B-
T11. Jordan Spieth (-6): Spieth’s fights continue to provide reason to believe he is starting to find an edge again, but it’s hard to get too excited about the prospect of a win considering how hard he struggled to put together a full round. Sunday’s final round was a 68, which was my best of the week, and I’ve had a few chances this week to hit shots in the mid-60s, only to shoot a 69 or 70 and go off the track. That’s the next step for Spieth, but it’s clear his game is back in a good place. Grade: B-
T14. Brandt Snedeker (-5): This week’s coolest story didn’t have the fairytale ending people were expecting. Snedeker took a lone lead early on Sunday’s front nine, but after struggling for the lead all week, his poor ball striking finally caught up with him in the final round. It’s a little difficult to evaluate Sunez’s performance this week. He qualified for the first time this year and was the tournament’s biggest surprise, but there may not be a better chance for his 10th PGA Tour win. The latter point will probably dominate his thoughts in the immediate aftermath, but ultimately he will look back on this week fondly, even if it ended on a difficult Sunday afternoon. Grade: B
T19. Brooks Koepka (-4): The good news for Koepka is that he had no problems with his putter, as he finished 26th in strokes gained putts, and he remains one of the best ball strikers on the PGA Tour. The bad news is he was scary on the golf course, where you have to be sharp off the tee and around the greens. Still, he’s making progress, and if he can fix his game off the tee, whether it’s the way he hits irons or his putter that doesn’t cause seizures, he could be a threat this year. Progress may be slower than he would like, but it is certainly happening. Grade: C+
T30. Justin Thomas (-3): It wasn’t the best week for JT. Iron play continues to be a work in progress and he is still trying to put all the pieces together after a long layoff. Grade: C
