Hideki Matsuyama outduels Rickie Fowler to win Waste Management Phoenix Open

Taking advantage of two mistakes by Fowler on the par-4, 317-yard 17th hole and overcoming the pro-Fowler crowd, Matsuyama won the tournament that drew a record 618,365 to TPC Scottsdale for the week with a par on the fourth playoff hole.

That’s where Rickie Fowler self-destructed, first giving Hideki Matsuyama an unexpected chance in regulation, then handing the 23-year-old Japanese player the trophy on the fourth hole of a playoff.

In a dramatic finish to regulation, Matsuyama rolled in a 15-foot birdie dead centre at the par-4 18th, before Fowler matched him by sneaking in a nine-footer. Matsuyama two-putted for par and the win, his second on the PGA Tour and first since the 2014 Memorial.

The tournament drew an estimated 201,003 fans Saturday, a one-day record. Tied with Lee for the lead at 12-under after the 11th hole, he dropped five strokes on the next three holes.

“I’m making a lot of putts, hitting a lot of fairways, giving myself many opportunities to make birdie, and sleeping in my own bed this week”, he added.

“With how good I’m playing, I know I can win”, Fowler said. Matsuyama now ranks 147th in strokes gained putting (he was 86th last year), which is partly due to a rigid stroke and partly due to him hitting so many greens that he spends more time putting than most players.

Matsuyama put his approach on the green to about 20 feet from the cup.

Lee, who held a three-shot lead at the start of the round, opened the door for everyone on the first page of the leaderboard when he made three bogeys in his first seven holes. Molder closed with an 18-foot putt on the par-4 ninth for a 64, the best round of the week.

Hideki doesn’t have to apologize for being the Phoenix Open champion.

Although he finished 15-under-par, his final-round 65 could have been even lower had he made any of the birdie opportunities presented to him on the first three holes on Sunday. “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”.

Three behind overnight leader, Danny Lee, Matsuyama was two behind Fowler with two holes to go.

American Harris English shot a final-round 66 to finish third on 12 under, while Boo Weekley was a shot behind Lee in fifth place after concluding with a 70. The 45-year-old former Arizona State player bogeyed Nos.

279-Keegan Bradley 68-69-73-69, Ben Crane 68-70-72-69, Ryan Palmer 70-70-71-68, William McGirt 69-67-73-70, Billy Horschel 73-68-70-68, Colt Knost 69-69-70-71, Charles Howell 70-69-68-72, Matt Every 70-69-68-72, Kevin Na 68-71-68-72.