English golfing star leads Scottie Scheffler in tournament which lands winner £2.6million

Lewis Henderson
Sun, 19 Apr 2026 12:56:12 +0000

English golfing star Matt Fitzpatrick leads the world number one Scottie Scheffler at RBC Heritage by three shots heading into the final round.

In a fabulous display so far from the former US Open champion, Fitzpatrick shot three under par yesterday, as he eyes up the £2.67million prize for first place.

Scheffler, who finished second a week ago at the Masters to Rory McIlroy, will be in pursuit of the Briton, having shot a very impressive seven under par in round three.

Fellow American Brian Harman is also in the hunt, trailing his compatriot by one shot, as are Sepp Straka and Kim Si Woo.

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Fifteen golfers are all just within six shots of Fitzpatrick, who knows he has to put in a solid performance today to secure the victory.

Masters Champions McIlroy dodged a huge fine following his decision not to compete at RBC Heritage this week, serving the £2.2million penalty imposed on him three years ago.

The Northern Irishman joined an elite group last week by claiming successive Green Jackets, becoming just the fourth player in history to do so and the first since Tiger Woods achieved the feat in 2002.

McIlroy secured his sixth major championship by defeating Scheffler by a single shot at Augusta National.

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The 36-year-old has not participated in the RBC Heritage since 2020, having also withdrawn last year following his emotional Masters victory.

His absence in 2023 proved costly after he failed to make the cut at that year's Masters.

PGA Tour rules at the time barred players from missing more than one signature event per season, resulting in the hefty financial sanction.

Those regulations have since undergone significant revision.

Current tour policy permits golfers to withdraw from tournaments without facing monetary punishment.

McIlroy took advantage of this flexibility throughout the early part of 2026, sitting out multiple competitions as he prepared for Augusta while simultaneously managing a back injury.

The rule change represents a substantial shift in how the PGA Tour handles player participation, offering greater freedom for top competitors to manage their schedules around major championships.

McIlroy drew criticism for avoiding tournaments in the weeks preceding the Masters, opting instead to utilise his champion's privileges for multiple practice sessions at Augusta National.

Rather than travelling to events in Houston or San Antonio, the four-time major winner would fly his private jet to Georgia for intensive course preparation before returning home the same day.

"I did a couple of days where I dropped Poppy to school, flew up here, played, landed back home, and had dinner with Poppy and Erica," McIlroy explained prior to his victory.

"I did a couple of day trips like that where I felt it was a better use of my time than going to Houston or San Antonio."

The strategy proved vindicated as McIlroy dominated proceedings, later revealing that golfing legend Jack Nicklaus had inspired his unconventional approach.