Hideki Matsuyama endured a gut-wrenching collapse with unruly crowd behaviour within the highlight as Chris Gotterup received the Waste Administration Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale.
Gotterup claimed his fourth PGA Tour title, and his second this yr, with a birdie on the first playoff gap after Matsuyama pulled his drive left into the water on the 18th.
FOX SPORTS, out there on Kayo Sports activities, is streaming The 2026 PGA Tour LIVE & Unique | New to Kayo? Be a part of now and get your first month for simply $1.
The Japanese famous person’s wayward tee shot got here after he stopped himself throughout his downswing due to a distraction from the gallery behind him.
It gave the impression to be a heckler calling out mid swing, however a giant thud is also heard and The Athletic’s Gabby Herzig reported that “a safety particular person dropping a chair” was the reason for the disruption.
Matsuyama backed away and finally hit his errant drive after the perpetrator was scolded by different spectators.
It was the second time within the area of roughly ten minutes that the 2021 Masters champion had been the sufferer of unlucky crowd antics.
When Matsuyama had a putt for the win on the 72nd gap, he backed away from the ball after a spectator yelled out as he began his stroke.
The second was met with a refrain of boos.
Calling out in gamers’ backswings has been an issue with the rowdy crowd at this occasion for a number of years with a streamer handed a life ban by the PGA Tour earlier within the event for paying patrons to yell out in gamers’ backswings.
However the spectators gathered across the 18th inexperienced made loads of noise for all the fitting causes as Gotterup drained a monster birdie to clinch the win.
The 26-year-old began the day 4 pictures again from in a single day chief Matsuyama however charged dwelling with a seven-under par spherical of 64.
He birdied 5 of his final six holes in regulation to provide himself an anxious wait on the driving vary for nearly an hour as Matsuyama wrapped up his spherical.
Requested about his new lease on life since successful a number of PGA Tour occasions, Gotterup mentioned he couldn’t put his finger on the place his purple patch has come from.
“God, I don’t know. I actually do not know. I’m simply having such a superb time taking part in proper now,” he mentioned.
“You make me cry each time. My girlfriend is right here. She’s like, you’ve received thrice with out me right here, and she or he bought to see it, and I do know everybody at house is watching. Simply so superior.”
The pair have been locked at -16 after Matsuyama blew his likelihood at successful in regulation with a bogey on the 72nd gap.
The 33-year-old was ranked final within the area off the tee within the last spherical, hitting simply three fairways and he finally paid the worth for his waywardness on the final.
The Japanese famous person had hearts in mouths off the 18th tee as his drive headed left in the direction of the water, however he had the gap to hold the hazard and find yourself in a bunker.
The drama continued because the two-time champion had a superb lie within the sand however thinned his shot into the church pew model lip and fell 40 metres in need of the inexperienced from 112m out.
His means to get up-and-down had been his saving grace all through the day, having saved par 5 occasions after failing to hit the inexperienced in regulation.
However it was to not be this time as Matsuyama’s putt for the win from greater than 8 metres slid to the fitting of the cup after the distraction.
“Was grinding all weekend. Didn’t have my greatest stuff, however hung in there,” Matsuyama mentioned.
“I needed to keep away from the playoff as a lot as I might, however I simply hit a nasty tee shot there in regulation at 18 and Chris made a superb putt there within the playoff. So hats off to him.”
A pack that included Scheffler, Akshay Bhatia, Si Woo Kim and Michael Thorbjornsen rounded out the highest 5.
The latter gave the impression to be the one almost definitely to run down Matsuyama after he eagled the par 5 fifteenth to nab the lead.
Thorbjorsen, a 24-year-old American in his second full season on the PGA Tour, faulted when a maiden Tour win was inside his attain.
He bogeyed 16 and 17 to drop again to -15.
“I don’t suppose I failed on the market. I’m simply studying,” Thorbjornsen mentioned.
“So, yeah, I put myself in that place. I used to be main after what, 70 holes, 69 holes, no matter it was. I imply, we’re inching our method nearer and nearer. It’ll occur sooner or later.”
Scheffler nails 70+ yard putt for Birdie | 00:53
In the meantime, world No.1 Scheffler threatened to drag of a rare come from behind victory.
Already a two-time champion at TPC Scottsdale, Scheffler chased a 3rd title with a bogey free seven-under par last spherical of 64.
The 29-year-old’s effort was matched by Gotterup and crushed for low spherical of the day honours by China’s Zecheng Dou’s 63, but it surely was comfortably essentially the most exhilarating spherical of the day.
Scheffler stormed dwelling with 4 birdies in his final six holes to achieve a complete of -15 after beginning the day 5 pictures adrift of in a single day chief Matsuyama.
That stretch included draining a greater than 20 metre birdie putt from off the inexperienced on the par 4 14th.
“Yeah, that was good. Most of the time I’d in all probability chip that ball, however the lie was sitting very humorous within the grass and my tempo on the greens had been actually good all week, so simply determined to hit the putt, and, yeah, bought line proper,” Scheffler mentioned.
His monster putt acquired a mighty ovation from the packed gallery that gathered to cheer on a chase down win, however the four-time main champion merely had an excessive amount of work to do.
In the long run, it was his first spherical 73, which included a duffed chip that went viral, that was in charge for Scheffler being unable to say his second trophy of the yr.
“How would I assess the event? I imply, I performed fairly nicely. Such as you mentioned, just one spherical the place I didn’t have my greatest stuff,” Scheffler mentioned.
“If I get in the home the primary day with a pair beneath par it’s just a little completely different story at the moment. Total, pleased with method I fought the final three days to provide myself an opportunity.”
Get all the most recent golf information, highlights and evaluation delivered straight to your inbox with Fox Sports activities Sportmail. Join now!!!
Cam Davis inches from freak par-4 ace! | 00:42
Australia’s Min Woo Lee fell out of competition with a last spherical 73.
The 27-year-old began the day 4 pictures off the lead, however shortly tumbled down the leaderboard with a three-over par entrance 9 38.
Lee clawed some pictures again with a hat-trick of birdies at 11, 12 and 13 on his strategy to ending -7 total, in a share of twenty eighth.
Fellow Australian Cam Davis endured a nightmare last spherical, closing the event with an 80.
Davis’ nine-over par day took him to +7 for the event, and the Sydneysider completed 73rd, final amongst those that made the reduce.
The 30-year-old is in a regarding rut, having not cracked the highest 30 of a event since his tied nineteenth end ultimately yr’s PGA Championship.