Hideki Matsuyama wins another playoff in Arizona
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Hideki Matsuyama’s love affair with the Waste Management Phoenix Open continued.
He has pretty strong feelings for playoffs, too.
Matsuyama embraced TPC Scottsdale once again and hoisted the championship hardware Sunday after another four-hole playoff. A year after he defeated Rickie Fowler with a par on the fourth extra hole — at the drivable par-4 17th — Matsuyama knocked in a 12-foot birdie putt to vanquish Webb Simpson on the 17th hole. It was the Japanese star’s fifth worldwide victory in his last nine starts and he will remain at world No. 5.
“It’s been a good run. I will try and ride it as long as I can,” Matsuyama said through a translator.
Matsuyama, 24, who also tied for fourth here in 2014 and tied for second in 2015, said he gets invigorated by the massive crowds that attend the event. This year a record 655,434 came to TPC Scottsdale, including a single-day record of 204,906 on Saturday. Thousands were still here when Matsuyama finally ended the tournament.
“It was a struggle, especially in the playoff,” Matsuyama said. “But I’m really happy to win. I just had faith that there would be a chance to win it. Luckily, (the last putt) went in. … There’s nothing like it in golf to play in front of such big galleries. It is great motivation. I have fun with it.”
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Matsuyama, who had a putt to win on the 72nd hole in regulation but left it short on the lip of the cup, shot rounds of 65-68-68-66 to finish at 17 under. He and Simpson each made pars on the first three extra holes, with Simpson just missing with two birdie putts that would have won it.
Matsuyama joined a stout group that includes Johnny Miller, Arnold Palmer, Lloyd Mangrum, Jimmy Demaret and Ben Hogan as the only back-to-back winners in the event.
Louis Oosthuizen, with a new putter and driver, shot 65 to finish third. Fowler made another strong run to win here, rushing home with a 65 to finish at 15 under and in a tie for fourth with J.J. Spaun (67).
Byeong Hun An, who led by one after 54 holes and by three after 63 holes, made four bogeys on the back nine and fell to sixth at 14 under. Crowd favorite Phil Mickelson stumbled on his inward nine, shot 71 and ended at 10 under. Jordan Spieth closed with a 67 to finish at 12 under.
Despite the loss, Simpson left in good spirits. No matter what he had done, no matter what he had tried, Simpson couldn’t find a cure for his ailing putter after anchoring was banned at the start of the 2016 season. Different putters, various grips and long hours of work didn’t change the script. All the man with deep-seated faith could do was stay at it and wait as his putting stats tumbled.
The winner of the 2012 U.S. Open, who hadn’t won since 2013 in Las Vegas at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, started to find some good things working with Billy Harmon last week in the Coachella Valley.
He needed just 27 putts per round in shooting 65-64 on the weekend. He finished regulation with a two-putt from 113 feet on the 17th and from 6 feet on the 18th.
“I feel like two weeks ago I was pretty lost,” Simpson said. “I just felt terrible about my game. But I feel I’ve been putting pretty well for a few months now, and I made a little swing change this week and it felt great.
“To shoot 7 under on Sunday, when I know I had to do it, is a great feeling. But Hideki is a great player. He’s a great champion.”
