As the final round of the WM Phoenix Open came down to the wire, Hideki Matsuyama looked poised to take home the title and the $1.7 million prize that came with it. Needing just a par on the 72nd hole of his tournament, Matsuyama hit a wayward drive into the left fairway bunker and made a bogey to put himself in a playoff with Chris Gotterup. An even worse drive in the playoff cost him the win and a pretty penny.
If Matsuyama had just parred the 18th hole on Sunday, he would’ve left TPC Scottsdale with his third WM Phoenix Open title and a $1,728,000 paycheck. Instead, he left with a runner-up finish and a check for $1,046,400, a whopping difference of $681,600.
Talk about an expensive bogey.
Hideki Matsuyama Choked Away the WM Phoenix Open
Matsuyama brought a one-stroke lead to the final round of the WM Phoenix Open, but his strong play in the first three rounds didn’t carry over to Sunday. The 2021 Masters champion hit just two of his first 12 fairways in the final round, as his swing clearly wasn’t in rhythm. Thankfully for Matsuyama, his stellar short game kept him in the fight and gave him a one-shot lead with three holes to play.
After a par on the par-3 16th hole, Matsuyama had a chance to ice the tournament on the short par-4 17th. His tee shot ended up just short of the green, but he chipped his second shot 15 feet long and missed the putt. Matsuyama still needed just a par on the par-4 18th hole to secure the victory, but a pulled drive and a poor second shot led to a disappointing bogey.
On the first playoff hole, Matsuyama yanked another drive way left and into the water, essentially ending his hopes of winning the tournament. Gotterup found the green in regulation and poured in his long birdie putt to steal the trophy away.
The trophy wasn’t all Gotterup stole from Matsuyama on Sunday, though.
Matsuyama’s Meltdown Cost Him Nearly $700,000
GettyHideki Matsuyama cost himself a pretty penny at the WM Phoenix Open.
On the PGA Tour, there’s a substantial financial difference between winning a tournament and finishing in second place. Matsuyama found that out the hard way, as his paycheck dwindled by nearly $700,000 after he choked away his Sunday lead.
The 33-year-old won’t be too upset considering he’s banked more than $64 million in on-course earnings in his PGA Tour career, but it’s still a brutal loss for one of the richest golfers in the world.
In the end, Matsuyama has no one else to blame but himself. The Japanese star couldn’t find the fairway with his driver all day, yet he still chose to hit the big stick on the 18th hole when all he needed was a par. He could’ve pulled out his 3 wood or even a long iron and aimed way right of the trouble on the 18th hole, but he went back to the driver and paid the price.
This will be a learning experience for Matsuyama, albeit a much more expensive one than he would’ve liked.
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