Chris Gotterup wins for the second time this season.
KEN MURRAY, ICON SPORTSWIRE VIA GETTY IMAGES
SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA | Two-time WM Phoenix Open champion Hideki Matsuyama was in the driver’s seat for most of Sunday in pursuit of his third victory at TPC Scottsdale. Chris Gotterup wasn’t even in the picture before he birdied five of his last six holes in regulation to take the clubhouse lead.
After waiting about an hour and watching Matsuyama bogey the 72nd hole, Gotterup returned to the course and beat Matsuyama in a playoff with yet another birdie.
“I just figured I’d stay loose and I didn’t think this would happen after Friday and Saturday but here we are,” Gotterup said.
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Will Enefer
Gotterup shot 16-under (63-71-70-64) to win his fourth PGA Tour title and second this year, following his Sony Open in Hawaii triumph last month. After shooting only 1-under par combined in his second and third rounds, Gotterup thought he was out of it, but a gutsy performance on Sunday proved that wasn’t the case.
With two victories in three starts this year, Gotterup is the hottest player on tour.
“I’m just having such a good time playing right now,” said an emotional Gotterup. “My girlfriend is here and she’s like ‘You won three times without me here?’ She got to see it and I know everyone at home is watching. It’s just so awesome.”
On Sunday, Matsuyama didn’t hit a fairway until the 10th hole, but his short game was sharp. He had a chip-in and made three putts from more than 20 feet on the front nine alone.
When he made the turn, Matsuyama had a one-stroke lead at 15-under. It appeared Michael Thorbjornsen might slip past Matsuyama after an eagle on the 15th hole gave him the solo lead, but bogeys on the 16th and 17th holes took him out of it. When Matsuyama birdied the 15th hole to move to 17-under, he regained a one-stroke cushion with three holes to play.
Not many were paying attention to Gotterup, who took the clubhouse lead at 16-under from world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who made a late run with a Sunday 64. After shooting 2-under on the front nine, Gotterup caught fire on the back, culminating with birdies on 17 and 18.
Still, a par on the 18th for Matsuyama would have rendered that effort irrelevant. But Matsuyama drove it in the church pew bunkers on the left, and his second shot caught the lip. Ultimately, he missed a long par putt to win – after stepping away and resetting when a fan yelled out while he stood over the putt – and fell into a playoff with Gotterup.
Playing the 18th hole again, Gotterup busted a tee shot that found the fairway and left him just 91 yards to the hole. Meanwhile, another noise from the gallery disturbed Matsuyama on the tee, prompting him to stop in his downswing before resetting – and finding the water left with his ensuing drive. Although Matsuyama’s third shot after a penalty drop left him a makeable par putt, Gotterup made it moot by draining his 25-footer for birdie and victory.
In brief comments through an interpreter after the playoff, Matsuyama did not address whether he felt the distractions cost him the tournament.
“Was grinding all weekend,” he said. “Didn’t have my best stuff, but hung in there. I wanted to avoid the playoff as much as I could, but I just hit a bad tee shot there in regulation at 18 and Chris made a good putt there in the playoff. So hats off to him.”
Despite an opening 73, two-time Phoenix Open champion Scheffler wound up in a four-way tie for third. In his second start since returning to the PGA Tour, Brooks Koepka, another two-time Phoenix Open winner, shot 2-over to miss the cut.
Gotterup held the lead after the first round, shooting an 8-under 63 with an eagle, six birdies and no bogeys. Two behind him was Matt Fitzpatrick, who tied the back nine scoring record with a 7-under 29.
After the second round, Japanese players Ryo Hisatsune and Matsuyama held the top two spots on the leaderboard. Hisatsune played his last six holes 6-under (four birdies and an eagle) to shoot an 8-under 63. He was the solo leader at 11-under. Matsuyama was one shot back, having shot a 7-under 64 in his second round.
Matsuyama took the solo lead after the third round, shooting a 3-under 68 to get to 13-under for the tournament. Four players were one back at 12-under. Another four were at 11-under. Gotterup, after shooting a 1-under 70, was at 9-under.
Upon conclusion of the tournament, the Aon Swing 5 was finalized. Pierceson Coody, Hisatsune, Jake Knapp, Matt McCarty and Patrick Rodgers were the players to qualify for the first two signature events of the year: the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am this week and the Genesis Invitational next week.
Everett Munez
