Kevin Stadler of the USA beat countryman Bubba Watson and Canada's Graham DeLaet by a single shot to win the Waste Management Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale in Arizona.
Stadler began the final round two shots behind Watson but closed with a 68, compared to Watson's 71. It was his first PGA Tour victory and it has earned him a start at the US Masters.
After both Stadler and Watson made birdies on the driveable par-4 17th, they stood on the final tee tied at 16-under-par, one stroke better than Graham DeLaet who had earlier closed with a superb 65.
Watson found the right hand rough from the tee and put his approach through the green, Stadler's second ended on the green, some 10 feet from the pin.
Watson's third shot from behind the green was a tricky one from trampled rough, he bladed it and the ball ran some five feet past the cup. Stadler missed his birdie effort and tapped in for par, then Watson missed his par effort and the tournament was Stadler's
"I was a little weird way to win a golf tournament," Stadler said. "I fully expected him to make the putt. I would have rather made mine to win it."
Graham DeLaet made a good run at the title. He bogeyed the par-5 15th after finding the water, but birdied the final two holes to set the clubhouse mark at 15-under-par. The Canadian is on great form, having also tied for second last week at Torrey Pines.
"I have been playing well for the last few months," DeLaet said. "I really feel like I worked super hard in the offseason. It's nice to see it paying off."
The event drew an estimated 563,008 fans, breaking the seven-day record of 538,356 set in 2008. The tournament drew a golf-record 189,722 on Saturday and 60,232 on Sunday.
Waste Management Phoenix Open TPC Scottsdale, Scottsdale, Arizona Jan 30 - Feb 2, purse $6,200,000, par 71
1 Kevin Stadler (USA) 65 68 67 68 268 $1,116,000 T2 Graham DeLaet (Can) 67 72 65 65 269 $545,600 T2 Bubba Watson (USA) 64 66 68 71 269 $545,600 T4 Hunter Mahan (USA) 66 71 65 68 270 $272,800 T4 Hideki Matsuyama (Jap) 66 67 68 69 270 $272,800 T6 Charles Howell III (USA) 70 69 67 65 271 $207,700 T6 Ryan Moore (USA) 66 71 64 70 271 $207,700 T6 Brendan Steele (USA) 66 74 62 69 271 $207,700 9 Harris English (USA) 65 67 69 71 272 $179,800 10 Webb Simpson (USA) 68 72 67 66 273 $167,400
Note: Player score in bold signifies Titleist ball usage Where next? European Tour - Stephen Gallacher wins Dubai Desert Classic
