Hilton Head (USA), April 20 (NationPress) Akshay Bhatia and Sahith Theegala both delivered solid performances, completing under-par rounds to secure their spots in the Top-25 at the RBC Heritage golf tournament, part of the PGA Tour. Bhatia advanced to T-16, climbing nine places from his previous position of T-25, while Theegala improved to T-25 from T-41. Another player of Indian descent, Sudarshan Yellamaraju (68), ended in T-53.

Matt Fitzpatrick (70) managed to fend off World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler (67) during regulation play at Harbour Town Links, as Scheffler made a late comeback from a three-shot deficit to push the match into a playoff, both finishing at 18-under.

During the playoff, Fitzpatrick, aged 31, shocked the pro-Scheffler supporters with a remarkable 4-iron shot from 204 yards, landing just left of the pin. The ball rolled past the hole and settled 13 feet away, allowing him to make a birdie. Fitzpatrick successfully converted the putt to triumph over Scheffler, claiming the RBC Heritage title for the second time.

This victory marks Fitzpatrick's fourth on the PGA Tour and his 13th globally, propelling him to a career-best No. 3 in the world rankings.

Fitzpatrick's recent success includes two wins in the past month. Following a second-place finish at THE PLAYERS, he clinched the Valspar Championship. In his last four tournaments, he has accrued nearly $8.3 million.

The playoff mirrored a previous encounter three years ago when Fitzpatrick outperformed another American favorite, Jordan Spieth, in a playoff at the RBC Heritage. This time, the final hole proved to be a significant challenge, recognized as the hardest at Harbour Town.

Despite trailing by three shots with only four holes remaining, Scheffler forced a playoff with two late birdies for a round of 4-under 67, aided by Fitzpatrick's misstep, which included a poor chip from off the green and a missed 20-foot par putt, resulting in his sole bogey of the day.

However, Scheffler's day concluded with his worst swing, as a 6-iron fell 37 yards short of the hole. He executed an impressive pitch to 8 feet but didn't need to putt as Fitzpatrick sealed the victory.

This marks the second consecutive runner-up finish for Scheffler, who had come from 12 shots behind to finish one shot behind Rory McIlroy at the Masters. This time, he began seven shots behind Fitzpatrick after 36 holes and concluded with scores of 64-67.

With both competitors finishing at 18-under 268, Kim wrapped up with a 68, securing third place on his own, marking his fourth top 10 finish of the year.