SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Chris Gotterp did his half, posting 5 birdies in six holes to push himself up the Phoenix Open leaderboard.
Enjoyable on the primary tee at TPC Scottsdale, the 26-year-old knew he would want assist as Hideki Matsuyama was nonetheless on the course with a one-stroke lead.
Gotterup obtained what he wanted on Matsuyama’s wild tee shot on the 18th and took benefit when the Japanese star did it once more within the playoffs.
Gottap gained on the primary gap of Sunday’s playoff, taking pictures a 7-under 64 and making a protracted birdie putt after Matsuyama sank his tee shot into the water.
“You by no means know what is going on to occur,” Gottapp stated. “We went to the primary tee, hit just a few balls, checked out what was happening, and impulsively he got here out on the 18th and everybody was making a fuss and we have been like, Okay, that is it.”
Matsuyama, who was within the lead by one heading into the ultimate spherical, had transformed all of his earlier 5 54-hole leads into wins, however he completed limping.
The 2-time Phoenix Open champion hit the reachable par-4 seventeenth along with his tee shot into the water on the left for par, then drove his drive into the Church Pugh bunker on the left 18th, his eleventh fairway miss of the day.
Matsuyama hit his second shot proper in entrance of the bunker and was unable to stand up or down from 43 yards remaining, sending the match right into a playoff. He shot a 68 to match Gotterup at 16-under 268.
“I wished to keep away from the playoffs as a lot as doable, however I simply had a nasty tee shot on the 18th gap,” Matsuyama stated by means of an interpreter.
Gotterup, winner of the season-opening Sony Open, closed it out with a 3-foot birdie on the regulation 18th regardless of hitting his tee shot close to the precise aspect of the grandstand, and watched Matsuyama end throughout his swing from the primary tee.
Gotterup, a slugger, wished to place strain on Matsuyama within the playoffs, and he did simply that, hitting a strong drive to the precise aspect of the green.
Matsuyama swung his tee shot additional to the left than the authorized restrict and hit it from the opposite aspect of the lake into the water. After falling, his third shot hit the inexperienced, however Gotterp sank a 27-foot birdie putt to depart little question that he had gained his second win in three begins this season and his fourth on the PGA Tour.
“I am assured in what I am doing and I really feel like I’ve performed nicely sufficient to be assured in that place,” Gotterup stated. “To date I have been in a position to benefit from them.”
He and the remainder of the sphere needed to face up to a cost from Scottie Scheffler.
The world No. 1 participant went from being at risk of lacking out after a shaky first spherical to rising to prominence as his title rose to the highest of the leaderboard.
The 2-time Phoenix Open champion had 4 birdies on the again 9 and got here inside a shot, however was unable to capitalize on a strong drive on the 18th. He closed with a 64 and tied for third place in a five-way tie with a complete of 15 underneath.
Matsuyama gained the Phoenix Open in 2016 and 2017, successful each instances within the rally.
He began the ultimate spherical with a one-shot lead over 4 gamers, with Scheffler and a number of other others nonetheless taking part in catch-up.
The world No. 1 opened the game’s wildest match with a 73 and shot a 65 within the second spherical to increase the PGA Tour’s longest energetic lower streak to 66.
Scheffler trailed by seven on the finish of the second spherical, however lower it to 5 after the third spherical and started to inch his means up Sunday’s leaderboard.
Scheffler had three birdies on the entrance 9 and three consecutive runs on the again (highlighted by a 72-foot putt from the perimeter on No. 14) to tug the result in inside one. Scheffler made a birdie from 63 ft on the seventeenth and two putts to get again inside one, however he missed a 24-foot birdie putt on the 18th and the cost fell brief.
“I performed fairly nicely. There was just one spherical the place I wasn’t at my greatest,” Scheffler stated. “Even in the event you got here house just a few underneath par on the primary day, right now is a bit of completely different story.”
