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Matsuyama Wins in Playoff Over Rickie Fowler at Phoenix Open

Hideki Matsuyama put on a tremendous display of ball-striking all week at TPC Scottsdale, and it paid off Sunday with a win in a four-hole playoff over Rickie Fowler. Matsuyama, who has three top-five finishes in as many trips to the event, led the field in strokes gained from tee-to-green and greens in regulation on the week.

Matsuyama and Fowler both put on a great show in the playoff, with both players making clutch putts and hitting monster drives. Fowler blinked first, pulling one into the water on the fourth playoff hole, which gave Matsuyama the opening he needed to win.

Matsuyama's played the Phoenix Open three times. He now has a T4, T2 and a win. He finally broke through for a win in Phoenix and did so in impressive fashion. He watched Fowler pipe three massive drives on 18 at the end of regulation play and then matched him shot for shot in the playoff.

His putting was very solid in crunch time, which is the part of his game that tends to give him the biggest problems. His putt on 18 at the end of regulation to help force a playoff was as pure as it gets.

Fowler was in cruise control through 15 holes of the final round. He was bogey-free and held a two-shot lead over Matsuyama. Fowler stiffed his tee shot on the par-3 16th, and after Matsuyama missed his birdie putt, he had a chance to go up two strokes. He missed that putt to the left and then hit a driver over the green on 17 (360 yards) to go in the hazard leading to his first bogey of the round.

In the playoff, the 17th bit him again as Fowler hooked a 5-wood into the water.

Fowler looked terrific for 20-of-22 holes on Sunday, but his two bogeys on 17 were enough to derail the rest of his excellent play.

It was a pretty good week for Phil Mickelson, who finished 8 under for the tournament. He fired his 10th 65 of his Phoenix Open career on Saturday to make a run up the leaderboard but couldn't make enough putts over the course of the week to really get into contention. 

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