Fitzpatrick Wins Through Frustration, Takes Aim at Slow Play at Valspar

Matthew Fitzpatrick finally returned to the winner’s circle on the PGA Tour — but not without voicing a familiar frustration along the way.

The Englishman captured the Valspar Championship, shooting a steady three-under 68 on Sunday. Yet his victory came amid what he described as a disruptive, stop-and-start pace of play.

“That was really frustrating. It was slow today,” Fitzpatrick said afterward. “There was a lot of stop-start.”

Though he stopped short of naming his playing partner, Adrien Dumont de Chassart, the context was clear. Fitzpatrick’s comments echoed years of criticism he’s directed at slow play and the Tour’s handling of it — a stance he has previously labeled “appalling” and “a disgrace.”

The issue became particularly noticeable during a difficult stretch for Dumont de Chassart, whose round unraveled early with a triple-bogey 8 after hitting his opening tee shot out of bounds. Another 8 later in the round only compounded matters — along with the time it took to recover from those mistakes.

At one point, Fitzpatrick even played out of turn in an effort to keep things moving and eventually asked a rules official to intervene. NBC on-course reporter John Wood described Fitzpatrick as “perturbed,” while noting the pace was “glacial, to be kind.”

Rules official Orlando Pope confirmed that Dumont de Chassart was being monitored, which ultimately resulted in an official warning — though no penalty was issued.

Fitzpatrick pointed to a key distinction: high scores can naturally slow a round, but being unprepared to hit only makes matters worse.

“When you’re not ready to play a golf shot, it gets frustrating,” he said. “Especially when you’re playing well or in contention. It knocks you out of your rhythm.”

That disruption lingered for several holes, as Fitzpatrick tried to balance maintaining pace with staying focused on winning.

Still, he managed both.

Despite the interruptions, Fitzpatrick held on to secure his first PGA Tour victory in nearly three years. Dumont de Chassart, meanwhile, finished T26 with a 74 — avoiding penalties but drawing attention to a long-debated issue.

Slow play remains one of golf’s most persistent challenges. It has been nearly a decade since the PGA Tour last issued a stroke penalty for pace-of-play violations, and while new measures have been discussed, meaningful enforcement remains elusive.

For Fitzpatrick, it’s more of the same conversation — one he’s not sure will ever lead to real change.

But on this Sunday, at least, it didn’t cost him the trophy.