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Valspar Championship 2026 Final Round: Fitzpatrick's Redemption — Im Collapses, Snedeker Crumbles, and a 15-Foot Putt on 18 Seals It
Valspar Championship 2026 · Final Round Recap · March 22
Redemption at the Copperhead Course
Im Crumbles. Snedeker Falls.
Fitzpatrick Buries the Putt That Changes Everything.
Fitzpatrick Buries the Putt That Changes Everything.
One week after losing THE PLAYERS on the 72nd hole, Matt Fitzpatrick drains a 15-footer on 18 to win the Valspar by one — his first PGA Tour title since 2023.
-11 Fitzpatrick Wins (273)
68 Final Round
$1.64M Winner's Share
74 Im's R4 Collapse
Matt Fitzpatrick — 2026 Valspar Champion
Matt Fitzpatrick celebrates his third PGA Tour victory after a dramatic final-hole birdie at Copperhead. (Getty Images)
A week ago, Matt Fitzpatrick stood on the 72nd hole at TPC Sawgrass with a one-shot lead at THE PLAYERS Championship. He made bogey and watched Cameron Young walk away with the trophy. Seven days later, at the Copperhead Course, he stood on the 72nd hole again — this time, he buried it.
Fitzpatrick's 15-foot birdie putt on the final hole gave him a 3-under 68 and an 11-under 273 total, good for a one-shot victory over David Lipsky. It was his first PGA Tour win since the 2023 RBC Heritage, his third Tour title overall, and the most dramatic redemption arc of the 2026 season so far.
But this wasn't just a story about Fitzpatrick's clutch finish. It was about the spectacular implosion of 54-hole leader Sungjae Im, the heartbreaking collapse of 45-year-old Brandt Snedeker, and a Sunday afternoon at Copperhead that saw five players share the lead at the same time.
Final Leaderboard
2026 Valspar Championship — Complete Results
| Pos | Player | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🏆 1 | Matt Fitzpatrick | 69 | 68 | 68 | 68 | -11 (273) |
| 2 | David Lipsky | 69 | 65 | 70 | 70 | -10 (274) |
| 3 | Jordan Smith | 68 | 69 | — | 66 | -9 (275) |
| T4 | Xander Schauffele | 68 | — | — | 65 | -8 (276) |
| T4 | Sungjae Im 🇰🇷 | 64 | 69 | 69 | 74 | -8 (276) |
| — | Marco Penge | 68 | 69 | 68 | — | ~-8 |
| T14 | Brandt Snedeker | 65 | 72 | 67 | 76 | -5 |
| T11 | Jordan Spieth | 69 | 70 | — | — | -6 |
The Champion
Fitzpatrick: From PLAYERS Heartbreak to Valspar Redemption
Fitzpatrick's victory was built on surgical consistency. Four bogeys for the entire week — the fewest in the field. Four rounds under par: 69-68-68-68. No fireworks, no eagles, no "did that just happen?" moments on the front nine. Just steady, clinical golf from a player who refused to beat himself.
But there were two moments that defined Sunday. The first came at the par-3 15th, where Fitzpatrick drained a 30-foot birdie putt to take the solo lead at 10-under. One week earlier, he'd been subjected to boos during his tussle with Cameron Smith at Sawgrass. This time, the gallery erupted in cheers.
The second — the winner — came on 18. Fitzpatrick striped his drive 303 yards, knocked a pitching wedge to 14 feet, and rolled in the birdie putt that moved him to 11-under. In the group behind him, Lipsky's 30-foot birdie attempt to force a playoff slid just left of the cup.
"I knew I was playing well. And it was like, 'Let's just keep pushing and give ourselves the best chance we can.' To do that over four rounds was special this week."
— Matt Fitzpatrick, post-round interview
Fitzpatrick's Week at a Glance
-11Total
4Bogeys (Wk)
0Wknd Bogeys
2ndGIR Rank
$1.64MEarnings
The equipment story is worth noting: Fitzpatrick recently switched back to his Bettinardi blade putter — a mirror of the Yes! Tracy II he'd been using since he was 16 years old. His make rate from 5-15 feet improved dramatically, and it was exactly that range that won him the tournament.
The Collapse
Im's Devastating Sunday: From -11 Leader to T4
Sungjae Im — 74 in the Final Round
Im led for three straight days before his putter went cold on Sunday. (Getty Images)
Sungjae Im entered Sunday with a two-shot lead at -11, a wire-to-wire victory seemingly within his grasp. He needed nothing more than an even-par round to almost certainly win. Instead, he shot 2-over 74 — and it could have been worse.
The damage was instant and devastating. Im made four bogeys in his first eight holes without a single birdie. His putter, which had been reliable all week, went completely cold on the firm, fast Sunday greens. By the time he made his first birdie on the par-5 11th, the tournament had left him behind. The field — Fitzpatrick, Lipsky, Snedeker, Smith, Penge — had all caught or passed him.
📉 Im's Front Nine Meltdown
Holes 1-8: 4 bogeys, 0 birdies → Went from -11 to -7
Front 9 score: 40 (+5 over first 3 days' average)
First birdie: Not until the 11th hole
Final round: 74 (+3) → Dropped from 1st to T4
Front 9 score: 40 (+5 over first 3 days' average)
First birdie: Not until the 11th hole
Final round: 74 (+3) → Dropped from 1st to T4
Im rallied slightly on the back nine but the damage was done. He finished T4 at 8-under, three shots behind Fitzpatrick. For a player returning from a wrist injury who'd led from start to finish for 54 holes, it was a cruel end. But the positive signs are real — Im's ball-striking was elite for three days, and the Copperhead is one of the Tour's most demanding tests. He'll be a factor again.
The Fairytale That Wasn't
Snedeker: Tied for the Lead at the Turn, Then +5 on the Back
Snedeker — 76 in the Final Round
Snedeker was tied for the lead through 10 holes before it all fell apart. (Getty Images)
The story everyone wanted to write — 45-year-old Presidents Cup captain on a sponsor exemption wins after missing every cut this year — was alive and well through 10 holes on Sunday. Snedeker birdied the 1st and was tied for the lead heading to the back nine.
Then the 12th hole happened. A three-putt for double bogey. Followed by a bogey on 13. Just like that, the fairytale was over. Snedeker finished with a 76, plummeting to T14 at 5-under.
"Stood on the 10th tee tied for the lead, which is all you can do. My swing left me on the back nine. I really struggled."
— Brandt Snedeker
The story of Snedeker's week should still be celebrated. A nine-time Tour winner who looked done, playing his way into the final pairing at 45 years old on a sponsor exemption, having missed every cut in 2026. He'll look back on this week with pride — eventually. In the immediate aftermath, the pain of what could have been will dominate.
The Chaos
Five Players Tied for the Lead — Then Fitzpatrick Pulled Away
At one point on Sunday afternoon, five players were tied at 9-under: Fitzpatrick, Snedeker, Smith, Lipsky, and Penge. It was March Madness on a golf course. Then, one by one, the contenders fell away.
Penge bogeyed the 12th. Snedeker double-bogeyed the same hole. Smith posted 66 and set the clubhouse lead at 9-under. Lipsky and Fitzpatrick were left to battle it out head-to-head over the final four holes.
Fitzpatrick's 30-footer on 15 broke the tie. Lipsky answered with a birdie on 14 to pull level. Then Fitzpatrick's 15-foot birdie on 18 sealed it — and Lipsky's 30-foot attempt to tie on 18 slid just past the cup.
Notable Performances
The Sunday Movers
Xander Schauffele
T4 · Final Round 65 · -8 Total
65
Schauffele fired the co-low round of the day with a 6-under 65, but poor play on Friday and Saturday left him too far back to capitalize on the leaders' collapse. His ball-striking continues to trend in the right direction ahead of the Masters.
Jordan Smith
Solo 3rd · Final Round 66 · -9 Total
66
Smith posted 66 with seven birdies and held the clubhouse lead for an extended period. Career-best finish and just his second top-10 on the PGA Tour — a breakthrough week for the Englishman.
David Lipsky
Solo 2nd · Final Round 70 · -10 Total
70
Lipsky came agonizingly close to his first PGA Tour victory. His birdie putt on 18 to force a playoff slid just inches past the hole. Still, solo 2nd is a career-best, and the $992K paycheck won't hurt.
Looking Ahead
What Fitzpatrick's Win Means
Copperhead Course — Sunday at Innisbrook
Innisbrook's Copperhead Course delivered a dramatic conclusion to the 2026 Valspar Championship. (Getty Images)
Fitzpatrick's victory moves him to 3rd in the FedEx Cup standings, behind only Jacob Bridgeman and Cameron Young. More importantly, it cements his Masters credentials — three weeks from now at Augusta, he'll arrive as one of the hottest players in the game, coming off a runner-up at THE PLAYERS and a win at the Valspar in consecutive weeks.
The 2022 U.S. Open champion proved something this week: he can handle the pressure of the final holes after last week's collapse. The Bettinardi blade putter is rolling, the Ping i240 irons are dialed, and his bogey-free weekend at one of the Tour's toughest courses is a statement. Fitzpatrick is a serious Masters contender.
The PGA Tour moves to the Texas Children's Houston Open next week, where Scottie Scheffler headlines the field in his final tune-up before Augusta.
The Copperhead gave us everything this week. A leader who fell. A 45-year-old who almost rewrote his story. Five players tied with eight holes to play. And a 2022 U.S. Open champion who turned last week's pain into this week's glory. Golf doesn't script it any better than this.
The Fitting Room Golf · www.thefittingroomgolf.com