SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Chris Gotterup shot 7-under 64 and won the Phoenix Open with a birdie on the first hole of a playoff Sunday after Hideki Matsuyama pulled his tee shot into the water.
The leader by one heading into the final round, Matsuyama had converted all of his previous five 54-hole leads into wins, but limped to the finish at TPC Scottsdale’s Stadium Course.
The two-time Phoenix Open champion nearly hit his tee shot in the water left of the reachable par-4 17th and pulled his drive on 18 left into the church pew bunkers — his 11th missed fairway of the day. Matsuyama hit his second shot into the face of the bunker and couldn’t get up-and-down from 43 yards to send the tournament to a playoff. He shot 68 to match Gotterup at 16-under 268.
Gotterup, winner of the season-opening Sony Open, closed with five birdies on his final six holes and stayed loose by hitting balls off the first tee before uncorking a massive drive on 18 in the playoff.
Matsuyama yanked his tee shot even further left than he did in regulation, caroming it off the bank of the lake into the water. The Japanese star hit his third shot to onto the green after a drop, but Gotterup left no doubt by sinking his 27-foot birdie putt for his fourth career PGA Tour win.
Top-ranked Scottie Scheffler went from being in danger of the missing the cut with a shaky first round to turning heads as his name moved toward the top of the leaderboard. He closed with a 64 to tie for third at 15 under.
European tour
DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Patrick Reed capped off his remarkable month in the Middle East by winning the Qatar Masters on Sunday, his second European tour victory in three weeks that all but assures the former Masters champion will have a full PGA Tour card in 2027.
Reed closed with a 2-under 70, turning back an early threat from Jacob Skov Olesen and a late charge by Calum Hill for a two-shot victory at Doha Golf Club.
In the last three weeks, Reed has won the Dubai Desert Classic, lost in a playoff in Bahrain and won in Qatar. No one has posted a lower 72-hole score in three straight European tour events. He will move into the top 20 in the world ranking for the first time since 2021.
The 35-year-old American chose to leave LIV Golf after his win in Dubai. He is virtually assured of being among the top 10 players in the Race to Dubai who get full PGA Tour cards in 2027. Reed leads the Race to Dubai and already has more points than the player who got the 10th card a year ago and still has four majors and four Rolex Series events to play.
Korn Ferry Tour
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — James Nicholas won the Astra Golf Championship on Sunday for his first Korn Ferry Tour title, making a 13-foot eagle putt on the par-5 18th for a 5-under 66 and a two-stroke victory.
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Nicholas played 29 holes Sunday in the weather-delayed event, also shooting 66 in the third round. The 28-year-old former Yale player won in his 69th start on the tour, finishing at 19-under 265 at Country Club de Bogota.
Norman Xiong was second. He also closed with a 66. Carson Young was third at 16 under after a 65.
Ian Holt, coming off consecutive victories in the Bahamas and Panama, tied for 49th at 5 under. He had a 71 on Sunday.
LIV Golf League
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Elvis Smylie won LIV Golf Riyadh on Saturday night in his tour debut, closing with an 8-under 64 under the lights to hold off Jon Rahm by a stroke.
The 23-year-old Australian also led Ripper GC to the team title.
Smylie, who won the Australian PGA Championship in 2024, finished at 24-under 264 under.
Rahm closed with a bogey-free 63. He won the points title on LIV Golf last year without ever winning an individual tournament.
Other tours
Will Enefer closed with a 3-under 69 and made birdie on the first playoff hole to win the Cape Town Open for his first Challenge Tour title. Enefer defeated Hennie Otto in the playoff at Royal Cape Golf Club. The tournament was co-sanctioned with the Sunshine Tour. ... Wooyoung Cho closed with a 5-under 67 to win the Philippine Golf Championship by four shots over Pavit Tangkamolprasert on the Asian Tour. ... Declan O’Donovan closed with a 5-under 67 for a five-shot victory over Brady Watt to capture his first professional title in the Webex Players Series-Sydney on the PGA Tour of Australasia. ... Jack Buchanan closed with a 5-under 67 for a six-shot victory in the Africa Amateur Championship, earning him a spot in the British Open at Royal Birkdale this summer.
AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
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