On March 23rd, 2026, we recap a dramatic Sunday at the Valspar Championship where Matt Fitzpatrick’s bogey-free weekend earned him a one-stroke victory over a surging David Lipsky.

FITZPATRICK'S REDEMPTION

• Erasing the sting of last week's Players Championship runner-up finish, Matt Fitzpatrick fired a final-round 68 to win by one stroke at 11-under. A clutch 13-foot birdie on the 18th capped off an incredible bogey-free weekend.
• "The big thing was I felt I was playing well... To do that for four rounds was special," Fitzpatrick said, noting he used a specific coaching technique to reduce putting stroke acceleration on the 18th hole.
• Fitz is now taking two well-deserved weeks off to reunite with his wife Katherine and prepare for the Masters.

LIPSKY’S LIFE-CHANGING SUNDAY

• Thirty-seven-year-old journeyman David Lipsky vaulted up the leaderboard to secure a solo second-place finish at 10-under. His aggressive club selection on 18 and dialed-in flighted irons—thanks to coach Dana Dahlquist—earned him Signature Event status.
• Lipsky walked away with a massive $991,000 payday, admitting, "the short game and the putter really saved me."
• The massive FedEx Cup vault completely alters the trajectory of the veteran's 2026 season.

SUNDAY HEARTBREAKS

• The Snake Pit bit back on Sunday. Fifty-four-hole leader Sungjae Im stumbled with a front-nine 40, while 45-year-old Brandt Snedeker suffered a brutal back-nine 40, derailed by an unforced error on the 12th hole.
• A devastated Snedeker finished T18 and lamented, "My swing left me on the back nine... all the good stuff this week kind of feels like I threw it away today."
• Despite the collapse, Im showed incredible fight with a valiant chip-in on 16 to salvage a T4 finish.

LEADERBOARD MOVERS & MAJOR PREP

• Firing four opening birdies, Xander Schauffele carded the round of the day with a 65. Meanwhile, DP World Tour veteran Jordan Smith shot 66, aggressively leaderboard watching to secure third place—his best PGA Tour finish.
• Schauffele sank a wild 17-percent probability putt and noted he's using "mental imagination" on flat Florida courses to prepare for Augusta's slopes.
• Brooks Koepka spent the day tinkering with ball position and alignment, struggling mightily off the tee: "I drove it terrible all day... Just put it in the worst places possible."

Quick Hits

Justin Thomas salvaged a T64 finish with a flawless, highlight-reel chip-in from thick rough • Seamus Power made a desperate T17 push to escape his schedule struggles as an alternate and secure a Houston Open exemption • Canadian rookie A.J. Ewart fired a 67 to earn a crucial rookie bump, jumping to 65th in the FedEx Cup standings.

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