Matt Fitzpatrick fumes at playing partner’s slow play despite PGA Tour win at Valspar Championship

Matt Fitzpatrick admitted frustration with the pace of play during the final round of the Valspar Championship, despite sealing a dramatic one-shot victory in Florida.

The 31-year-old Englishman birdied the 18th hole at Copperhead Course to edge out David Lipsky and claim his third PGA Tour title — and first since April 2023. The win lifts Fitzpatrick to third in the FedEx Cup standings and back inside the world’s top 10.

However, his triumph was overshadowed by clear irritation at the slow play of his final-round partner, Adrien Dumont de Chassart.

Fitzpatrick raised concerns with a PGA Tour rules official during the round, prompting officials to monitor Dumont de Chassart’s timing. 

The Belgian was later issued an official warning, though no penalty was applied.

NBC on-course commentator John Wood described the pace as “glacial,” highlighting one incident on the 11th hole where Fitzpatrick hit his approach first — despite being closer — and was left waiting several minutes on the green before his playing partner followed.

“That was really frustrating. It was slow today — a lot of stop-start,” Fitzpatrick said after his round.

“When you’re not ready to play a golf shot, it gets frustrating after a while — particularly when you’re in contention. It definitely knocks you out of your rhythm.”

Fitzpatrick explained how the delays disrupted his flow at a crucial stage of the tournament.

“You hit, you walk to it, you think about it, then you go again — but out there it wasn’t like that,” added Fitzpatrick, who closed with a 68 to the tournament by one shot on 11-under par. 

“Around that stretch of holes, you’ve got to stay sharp, and it’s tough when the pace isn’t consistent.”

The former US Open champion admitted the issue lingered for several holes as he battled to regain momentum while staying focused on closing out the win.

He added: “It knocked me out of rhythm for two or three holes. You feel like you’re chasing your tail — trying to speed up, get back into position, and at the same time still trying to win a golf tournament. At that point in the week it's a hard balance.”

Watch Fitzpatrick's comments in full here:

It proved to be a difficult day for Dumont de Chassart, who opened with an out-of-bounds tee shot and carded two triple bogeys on par-5s en route to a 3-over 74. He eventually finished tied 26th at 3-under par.

Despite the warning, the PGA Tour once again opted not to issue a penalty for slow play — extending its ongoing run without a stroke penalty for pace of play violations.

What did you make of the pace of play in the final round of the Valspar? Does more need to be done to tackle slow play in the game? 

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