Chris Gotterup wins Phoenix Open in playoff after Matsuyama falters

Chris Gotterup posted birdie on the first playoff hole to win the WM Phoenix Open after late mishaps by Japan's Hideki Matsuyama opened the door for him Sunday at TPC Scottsdale's Stadium Course in Arizona.

Gotterup, 26, notched his second victory of 2026 and the fourth of his young career. He shot a 7-under-par 64 and waited for a chance in a playoff.

Gotterup and Matsuyama ended up at 16-under 268 on a day when world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler made a strong move toward the top and created considerable buzz.

Gotterup, who also won last month's season-opening Sony Open in Hawaii, posted birdies on five of the final six holes in the last round. The last of those came after he recovered from a wayward tee shot.

To end the fourth round, Matsuyama's erratic driving finally cost him. His tee shot on the 18th hole ended up in a bunker and his quest to scramble for par failed when he was off the mark on a 24-foot putt. He took his lone bogey of the round.

Then Matsuyama's tee shot on the playoff hole landed in the water alongside the fairway. Gotterup played it steady and recorded another birdie to seal the deal.

Two of Matsuyama's 11 victories on the PGA Tour have come in this tournament. He also won in 2016 and 2017, but he couldn't finish the quest this time.

Matsuyama carried a one-shot lead on countryman Ryo Hisatsune into the final round.

Matsuyama was trying to win a fourth PGA Tour event in a 24-month period. This marked the sixth time that Matsuyama has been the outright leader through 54 holes on the PGA Tour, and he had won each of the previous five times.

Scheffler, who began his season two weeks earlier by winning The American Express, became the biggest story of the day for much of the round. He was within one shot of the lead through 15 holes, though he was playing several groups ahead of the last threesome. He finished with 64.

Michael Thorbjornsen (67), Akshay Bhatia (67), South Korea's Si Woo Kim (68) and Denmark's Nicolai Hojgaard (68) shared third place with Scheffler at 15 under.

Scheffler played the front side in 3 under and then strung together three more birdies on Nos. 13-15. That included sinking a shot from the fringe about 72 feet away on the par-4 14th. He also birdied No. 17.

With Scheffler's round complete, Thorbjornsen briefly catapulted into the lead with an 11-foot eagle putt on No. 15. He gave one of those strokes back with a bogey on the next hole after launching his tee shot beyond the green on the par-3 hole.

Thorbjornsen, a 24-year-old seeking his first PGA Tour triumph, settled for his seventh finish in the top five. Hojgaard is also 24 and without a tour victory.

China's Zecheng Dou had the day's best round with 63, moving him to 11 under and tied for 13th.

--Field Level Media