It’s the finale at the RBC Heritage, with Matt Fitzpatrick (-17/1st) leading the bunch and Scottie Scheffler (-14/2nd) closely following him. See, Fitzpatrick admires Scheffler enough, once saying that the Texan is a different class altogether, and Scheffler reciprocates this admiration. But as the pair prepares to tee off at 1:50 PM (ET) on Sunday, Fitzy shared his thoughts on facing the crowd-favorite Scheffler.

“Yeah, they’ve [American fans] got to support their guy, and that’s totally fine. As long as they don’t shout in my backswing, then they can do whatever they want. But I have a lot of people who support me this week as well, and I am just looking forward to it. Scottie is a great guy, and I’m looking forward to playing with him tomorrow,” said Fitzpatrick when asked how he’d tackle playing against Scheffler, whose fans have often abused his playing partners.

At the 2025 BMW Championship, for instance, Scheffler was paired with tournament leader Robert MacIntyre, with Scheffler’s fans hurling abuse at the latter. When Scheffler was confronted with it, he recited his experience playing in Ireland at The Open, saying that fans can say “dumb things” sometimes.

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This Should Be an Easy One, Right?

01/10

On Which Hole Jordan Spieth’s Ball Got Stuck Under a Trashcan?

14th 15th16th 17th

Oops, bogey!

But don’t worry, there’s still the back 9 to prove your high golf IQ

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Evidently, the 2024 RBC Heritage winner can face fans’ wrath as well, and he has. Not just for his rarely poor gameplay, but also for a lack of “charisma.” Although Fitzy sounds unfazed by a similar threat, a more recent incident at The Players gave us a glimpse of how unruly fans can be.

Playing in the final round against the eventual winner, Cameron Young, Fitzpatrick led by 1 on the 17th hole. Young birdied the hole while Fitzy made a par. Then, followed the boos and the chants of “USA! USA!” followed. How much it affected Fitzpatrick is another matter, but on the 18th, he pushed his tee to the right and into pinestraw for a bogey, and Young parred to take home his first The Players trophy. When asked about his thoughts on the matter, a calm Fitzy, the 2022 U.S. Open champ, called it “child’s play.”

It’s hard not to say that winning on American soil is a matter of pride that the fans take very seriously, but Fitzpatrick will survive this week. Back in 2023, he won the same event against Jordan Spieth in a playoff.

On the other hand, Harbour Town is a place where Fitzpatrick has a special connection. Long ago, when he was a child, his family often came to the city from England to enjoy vacations. So, we will expect Fitzpatrick to endure the day. Let’s not forget Fitzy has fans supporting him, just as they did during the Valspar Championship, as he looks to win his second jacket here.

Meanwhile, Scheffler holds great admiration for him. Following the third round, the Texan said of the Brit, “Yeah, Fitzy is a guy that—I admire him because he works really hard.”

In any case, if Fitzpatrick feels prepared to take on Scheffler’s fans, he needs to be just as confident about playing against the pro himself.

Scottie Scheffler might just sweep a win from Matt Fitzpatrick

On Saturday, Scottie Scheffler climbed 12 spots up the leaderboard, and Brian Harman (-13/T3) climbed 25 spots. And that means both of the pros hold a greater threat against Matt Fitzpatrick than just the fans do. For instance, if you remember anything about Scheffler’s Masters performance, then you know we are right.

Following the third round, an elated Scheffler said, “I knew I didn’t have to do anything crazy to get back in contention. I just had to have a really nice round. Was able to get off to a really good start and had a good finish.”

Following 68 and 67 in his first two rounds, Scheffler entered the Saturday round with a seven-shot deficit. It only took him six holes to cut that to two shots before he moved into a tie for the lead on the front nine. Now, he is in second place on the leaderboard. As per stats, Scheffler’s greatest asset is Strokes Gained: Approach. Currently, he ranks 81st on the Tour but 21st in round three, where he relied on scrambling to avoid big numbers.

Meanwhile, Harman finished the round with a score of 63, ranking 23rd in SG: Approach to Green and T3 in SG: Total.

So yes, it’s not just the fans Fitzy needs to be aware of, but also the two guys who can change his fate on the back nine.