Matsuyama’s WMPO win was fittingly chaotic

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – It wouldn’t be the Waste Management Phoenix Open without utter chaos. And not just from the crowd.

Just when it started to look like a runaway victory at the biggest party on the PGA Tour, someone at Buffalo Wild Wings must have hit that switch from the commercial, and suddenly, a golf tournament broke out.

It ended with Hideki Matsuyama topping Webb Simpson in a playoff that stretched four holes and into the first quarter of the Super Bowl for the second straight year. Last year the 24-year-old Japanese phenom beat Rickie Fowler in similar fashion.

“I really didn’t think I could do it, and it was a struggle all the way around,” Matsuyama said. “But I’m just thrilled to win.”

Not only did Matsuyama go back-to-back in Phoenix, but he also took back the unofficial “hottest player in the world” honors from Justin Thomas, who missed the cut this week.

Dating back to last October, Matsuyama now has three worldwide wins, including the HSBC-WGC and two runners-up.

“My hat’s off to him.” Simpson said in defeat. “He’s a great player. I knew he’d be a tough competitor in the playoff … he’s a great champion.”

They say golf is a game of inches. Maybe never more so than on Sunday at TPC Scottsdale.

Matsuyama plans to keep riding momentum after WMPO win

00:00

Advertisement

DVR LIVE

Series repeats itself here in Scottsdale Hideki once again a winner off four hole playoff. How eerily similar was this week to what you did here a year ago Solis and I’m looking for his confidence in us development of but he did area. Not nine at the net. Give them the vote it is difficult with the emotions like comes hard part to help me out mentally this didn’t go in oil and four holes and it was a struggle all the way around. The same seventeenth hole but the pin position was different from from last year with the emotions like the chance to win in regulation and more and more opportunities to finish it off. So it was real. Well Anthony. The benefits me ability to have confidence to go McDonald’s executive up and out of and hospitals and it mustang and Clinton apocalypse. I just you know I had faith and believe that you know my chance would come again in and night you know just waited and waited and patience and a I mean that was when when in. Five points in your last ten events worldwide how good is the golf you’re playing right now it. My goodness you can extend don’t want to…