Fowler went into the 17th hole today in the final round of the Waste Management Phoenix Open with a 2 stroke lead over the field. The unthinkable happened on the 17th hole when Fowler sunk a 360 yard drive into the water hazard. Followed up by a 3 wood in the water again. This provided Matsuyama to force a play off for the chance to win the tournament as well as the 6,500,000 dollar purse.
The first playoff hole was 18 followed by another go at hole 18. Fowler sunk a 15 foot birdie on the second play off hole to put the pressure on Matsuyama. Matsuyama answer with his own birdie and the battle continued onto the next hole.
On the last hole, Fowler missed a 10 foot par put, while Matsuyama two-putted for par to win the tournament.
“This one hurt,” Fowler said after the rough loss. This would’ve been his 5th win in nine months from international golf.
Matsuyama while appearing calm, was nervous. “Rickie opened the door for me… I was nervous inside… I’d say probably 99 percent were cheering hard for Rickie , but that gave me the motivation to go out and do it and win.”
Friday the event drew in a record breaking 160,000 fans, only to be trumped by its Saturday attendance of 201, 000 fans. The week total amounted to 618,000 attendees blowing records out of the water for a golf tournament.
The Phoenix Open boasts the famous 16th hole Par 3 Stadium at TPC Scottsdale. Where stands are erected every year before the tournament to pack in the fans for a one of a kind experience. The easy hole can easily seat thousands of onlookers to put the pressure on the pros to hit the short green.
Notable performers : Lee -11 English -12 Mickelson(Arizona State Alumni) -8