Scottsdale, AZ …
Red-hot Hideki Matsuyama made it five wins from nine starts by successfully defending his Phoenix Open title.
And for a second year running the 25-year Matsuyama won at TPC Scottsdale in a play-off and on this occasion defeating former US Open winner, Webb Simpson at the fourth extra hole.
Matsuyama sunk a 10-foot birdie putt on the short par-4 17th, and the fourth extra play-off hole and bizarrely the same hole where he had finished off Rickie Fowler a year ago.
Matsuyama ended regulation play with a 5-under 66 for a 17-under par tally and a short after Simpson birdied three of the last four for a 64, and the best round of the day.
Hideki Matsuyama holds the champion’s trophy after the Waste Management Phoenix Open golf tournament, Sunday, Feb. 5, 2017, in Scottsdale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Matt York)
The tournament drew an estimated 58,654 fans Sunday to shatter the weekly record with 655,434. The previous mark of 618,365 was set last year. A record 204,906 packed the grounds Saturday.
Matsuyama took advantage of third-round leader Byeong Hun An’s back-nine collapse. Three strokes ahead of Matsuyama, An bogeyed the first two holes on the back nine and closed with two more. The South Korean player had a 73 to finish sixth at 14-under.
Matsuyama won his second PGA TOUR title of the season and fourth overall. He has won five worldwide events in the last 3 1/2 months, also taking the WGC-HSBC Champions in China, two events in Japan and Tiger Woods’ Hero World Challenge.
He’s the sixth player to successfully defend a title in the event and the first to do it at TPC Scottsdale. The other five are Hall of Famers Ben Hogan (1946-47), Jimmy Demaret (1949-50), Lloyd Mangrum (1952-53), Arnold Palmer (1961-63) and Johnny Miller (1974-75). The Japanese player also is the first to win a playoff in an event two straight years since Nick Faldo at the Masters in 1989-90.
Matsuyama and Simpson matched pars on the first three extra holes, playing the par-4 18th twice and the par-4 10th before heading to 17. Simpson’s drive on 332-yard hole ended up on the right edge of the green, with a bunker blocking his path to the hole. Instead of trying to hit a wedge over the bunker, he putted and left himself a 25-footer that burned the right edge.
Simpson and Matsuyama each eagled the par-5 third, with Simpson hitting a 272-yard shot to 5 feet, and Matsuyama a 254-yarder to 2 1/2 feet.
Former Open Champion, Louis Oosthuizen and competing in the event for a first time finished a stroke back after a 65. The South African birdied Nos. 14, 15 and 17, then hit in the right bunker on 18 and scrambled to save par.
Fowler also shot a 65 to match J.J. Spaun (67) at 15-under.
