Two-time PGA Tour winner Matt Fitzpatrick came tantalizingly close to winning the 2026 Players Championship. But when all it took was one shot to derail those hopes, it was clear the golfer knew what he had just missed out on.

During the press conference after the final round of the 2026 Players Championship on Sunday, Fitzpatrick explained when he felt he had a real chance to contend.

“I felt like it's easy to say the later in the round, the more likely you've got a shot. But I felt like getting 3-under through 4 early was good.” 

The 2022 U.S. Open winner started the final round five shots behind Ludvig Åberg, who held the 54-hole lead. Fitzpatrick climbed the leaderboard during Sunday's round, placing himself in contention.

His front nine helped build that momentum. Fitzpatrick recorded three birdies on the opening side and turned in 33, moving to 11-under. At that stage, Åberg still controlled the tournament, but errors around the turn shifted the situation.

That opened the door for the chasing group, and Fitzpatrick took advantage.

Approach shots on holes 12 and 13 set up consecutive birdies, pushing him to 13-under and giving him the lead during the round. For a moment, it looked like the tournament had shifted in his direction.

The 31-year-old then spoke about the missed chances on the back nine and how the round unfolded afterward.

“It was disappointing not to get up-and-down on both par-5s on the back nine, again, just not good enough there. You do that on 9, you make the turn at 12, and you really feel like you're in it. Obviously managed to make two quick birdies there on 13 and 14 to give myself to lead at that point."

The lead did not last long. A three-putt on the par-4 14th dropped him back to 12-under and into a tie with Cameron Young.

Fitzpatrick responded on the next hole. A long drive on the par-4 15th gave him a good position, and he converted a birdie to move ahead again. From there, both players moved through the final stretch with the title still undecided.

Matt Fitzpatrick’s Tee Shot on 18 Shifts the Final Result

With  Cameron Young and Matt Fitzpatrick tied at 13-under, Fitzpatrick’s tee shot moved into the pine straw on the right side of the fairway. 

The 3-time DP World Tour Championship winner chipped out to return to the fairway and left himself with an eight-foot putt for par. The putt missed, resulting in a bogey that left him one shot behind.

After the round, Fitzpatrick also reflected on his overall performance despite the late setback.

“Yeah, I just felt like I did a ton of really good stuff. It’s obviously frustrating not to come away with a little bit better.”

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Written by

Aditi Singh

Edited by

Siddharth Shirwadkar