Brooks Koepka fired a final round of 66 at TPC Scottsdale to win the Waste Management Phoenix Open by a single shot from fellow Americans Ryan Palmer and Bubba Watson and Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama.
Brooks Koepka fired a final round of 66 at TPC Scottsdale to win the Waste Management Phoenix Open by a single shot from fellow Americans Ryan Palmer and Bubba Watson and Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama.
Over a tense final round, a number of players had a chance of securing victory. Koepka struck the decisive blow on the par-5 15th; He holed-out from 50 feet, on the fringe of the green, for an eagle three. That lifted the 24-year-old into a tie for the lead with overnight leader Martin Laird. Koepka parred his way in as his rivals dropped away.
Laird’s challenge collapsed at the death. The Scot finished bogey, double bogey to fall back into a tie for fifth place. Hideki Matsuyama of Japan had a putt on the final green to tie Koepka’s four-round total of 15-under-par, but it missed and Koepka (winner at last November’s Turkish Airlines Open on the European Tour) was the champion – his first title on the PGA Tour. The victory lifts him to 19th on the Official World Golf Ranking.
“It’s unbelievable,” he said. "I didn't think I would work my way up this quickly, but playing the Challenge and European tours led to this. And especially the failure I've had. I can't tell you how much I learned from that."
Matsuyama had taken the lead with a birdie at the 13th, but he followed that with a three-putt bogey on the following hole. He was unable to make any further birdies over the closing stretch and came up one shot shy.
Bubba Watson fired a fine final round of 65 to join Matsuyama in second place, together with Ryan Palmer who closed with 66.
Young Spanish amateur Jon Rahm continued to impress. The Arizona State junior closed out with a 69 to end the week in a tie for fifth with Martin Laird. Had he been eligible to receive the prize-money, the finish would have been worth almost $250,000.
Waste Management Phoenix Open TPC Scottsdale, Scottsdale, Arizona Jan 28 – Feb 1, purse $6,300,000, par 71
1 Brooks Koepka (USA) 71 68 64 66 269 $1,134,000 T2 Hideki Matsuyama (Jap) 69 71 63 67 270 $470,400 T2 Ryan Palmer (USA) 64 72 68 66 270 $470,400 T2 Bubba Watson (USA) 65 71 69 65 270 $470,400 T5 Martin Laird (Sco) 66 66 68 72 272 $252,000 T5 Jon Rahm (Esp) 70 68 66 68 272 Amateur T7 Graham DeLaet (Can) 67 70 69 67 273 $211,050 T7 Freddie Jacobson (Swe) 68 73 68 64 273 $211,050 T7 Jordan Spieth (USA) 70 68 70 65 273 $211,050
Note: Player score in bold signifies Titleist ball usage
