SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Rickie Fowler hit two balls into the water on the par-4 17th hole to give Hideki Matsuyama an unexpected playoff victory Sunday in the Waste Management Phoenix Open.

Overcome by emotion thinking about his family, Fowler broke down in tears in the media center.

“The hard part is having all my friends and family and grandpa and my dad who haven’t seen me win,” Fowler said. “But I will be able to kind of hang with them tonight. I’ll be all right.”

He blew a two-shot lead on the 317-yard 17th in regulation when he blasted a driver through the green and into the water, with the ball traveling nearly 360 yards.

“I’m hitting a chip-cut driver,” Fowler said. “Usually, don’t expect it to hit on the downslope and then go 360.”

Using a 3-wood in the playoff, he pulled his drive into the lake just short of the green.

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“Hit it solid,” Fowler said. “Just hit it a little high on the face and it just got up and left a little quicker than I was expecting and wanted.”

Matsuyama birdied the hole in regulation to tie for the lead, chipping to 21/2 feet. In the playoff, he chipped to 6 feet and two-putted for the win after Fowler missed a 10-foot par putt.

“Surprised and sad that Rickie finished that way, but all I can do is my best,” Matsuyama said through a translator. “I was lucky to come out on top.”

Fowler forced the playoff with a 10-foot birdie putt on the par-4 18th after Matsuyama made an 18-footer. They each shot 4-under 67 to finish at 14-under 270 at TPC Scottsdale’s Stadium Course.

“The putt I made there was probably the best putt I have ever made in my life,” Matsuyama said.

CHAMPIONS TOUR: Esteban Toledo parred the third playoff hole to win the Allianz Championship over Billy Andrade on a cold, windy day in Boca Raton, Florida.

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Toledo made a 4-foot par putt after Andrade’s 5-foot par try lipped out on the par-4 17th hole.

Three of Toledo’s four Champions Tour titles have come in playoffs. Toledo (67) and Andrade (68) finished at 11-under 205.

Andrade had a chance to win in regulation but missed a 5-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole. It looked like he was going to lose on the first playoff hole when his second shot landed in the palmetto bushes, but he saved par.

Tom Byrum shot the best round of the tournament, an 8-under 64, to jump into a third-place tie with Jeff Sluman (70).


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