Matsuyama defeats emotional Fowler

Associated Press

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.

Rickie Fowler hit two balls into the water on the par-4 17th hole to give Hideki Matsuyama an unexpected playoff victory Sunday in the Waste Management Phoenix Open.

Overcome by emotion thinking about his family, Fowler broke down in tears in the media center.

“The hard part is having all my friends and family and grandpa and my dad who haven’t seen me win,” Fowler said. “But I will be able to kind of hang with them tonight. I’ll be all right.”

He blew a two-shot lead on the 317-yard 17th in regulation when he blasted a driver through the green and into the water, with the ball traveling nearly 360 yards.

“I’m hitting a chip-cut driver,” Fowler said. “Usually, don’t expect it to hit on the downslope and then go 360.”

Using a 3-wood in the playoff, he pulled his drive into the lake just short of the green.

“Hit it solid,” Fowler said. “Just hit it a little high on the face and it just got up and left a little quicker than I was expecting and wanted.”

Matsuyama birdied the hole in regulation to tie for the lead, chipping to 21/2 feet. In the playoff, he chipped to 6 feet and two-putted for the win after Fowler missed his 10-foot par putt.

“Surprised and sad that Rickie finished that way, but all I can do is my best,” Matsuyama said through a translator. “I was lucky to come out on top.”

Fowler forced the playoff with a 10-foot birdie putt on the par-4 18th after Matsuyama made an 18-footer. They each shot 4-under 67 to finish at 14-under 270 at TPC Scottsdale’s Stadium Course.

“The putt I made there was probably the best putt I have ever made in my life,” Matsuyama said.

The playoff was just as dramatic.

On the par-4 10th on the third extra hole, Fowler saved par with a 12-foot putt after driving into the left rough and skulling his approach long and right. Matsuyama made a 5-footer to extend the playoff.

They played the 18th hole twice to open overtime. On the first extra hole, Fowler chipped to a foot to set up a par after leaving his wedge approach short and right. Matsuyama rolled his 25-foot putt inside a foot. On the second playoff hole, Matsuyama matched Fowler’s 15-foot birdie putt to extend it.

“Maybe from the outside it looked calm, but then I was nervous inside,” Matsuyama said.

The crowd of 65,330 pushed the week total to a record 618,365, shattering the mark of 564,368 set last year. The event broke its own golf record Saturday at 201,003 after drawing a Friday-record 160,415.