"'King of No Wins' Scheffler: 'Defeated PO Champ Cantlay at Golf Liberation Zone'... Kim Siwoo 26th"

Phoenix Open Final Day 4-Under Par "Winning Birdie on Third Playoff Hole," Cantlay 2nd, 24-Year-Old Tiggala Ties for 3rd with Tears

Scottie Scheffler is cheering after sinking the winning birdie on the third hole of the playoff on the final day of the Phoenix Open. Scottsdale, USA=Getty Images/Multibits Photo by Multibits

[Asia Economy Kim Hyun-jun, Golf Specialist Reporter] The 'King of No Titles' Scottie Scheffler has finally secured his first victory on the PGA Tour.

And it came at the Waste Management Phoenix Open, famous as a 'golf liberation zone' (total prize money $8.2 million). On the 14th (Korean time) at Scottsdale TPC in Arizona, USA (par 71, 7,261 yards), Scheffler added 4-under on the final day to take the top spot on the leaderboard (16-under 268 strokes). He defeated 'Playoff (PO) Champ' Patrick Cantlay with a winning birdie on the third playoff hole at the 18th hole (par 4). The winner's prize money is $1,476,000 (17.7 billion KRW).

Scheffler's 9-under on the moving day of the 3rd round was the driving force behind his victory. Leading with a 100% greens in regulation 'needle-like iron shots,' he made 9 birdies. Starting the day tied for 3rd, he made 8 birdies and 4 bogeys, notably showing strong finishing power with 4 birdies in the last 6 holes, including three consecutive birdies from holes 13 to 15 and a birdie on the final 18th hole (par 4). In the second playoff hole, he stuck his third shot close to the hole for a 'big par,' and in the third playoff hole, he showcased brilliant short game skills with a fairway bunker shot followed by an 8-meter winning birdie.

Scheffler is a player who advanced to the PGA Tour in 2020 after going through the Korn Ferry Tour (2nd tier) in 2019 and immediately won Rookie of the Year. In 70 events, he rose to 15th in the world rankings with two 2nd-place finishes and three 3rd-place finishes but was frustrated by the lack of a win. He shot 59 in the second round of the Northern Trust in August 2020 and showed his presence with a runner-up finish at the Dell Technologies Match Play in March last year. He also added a 2nd place at the Houston Open, which was included in the 2022 season, in November.

Patrick Cantlay is disappointed as his birdie putt misses in the third playoff hole on the final day of the Phoenix Open. Scottsdale, USA = Getty Images / MultiBits Photo by MultiBits

On the other hand, Cantlay missed consecutive 3-meter birdie putts on holes 17 and 18, losing his chance for his first win of the new season and his 7th career victory. The 'rookie storm' of 24-year-old Sais Tigala was halted by a bogey on the 17th hole (par 4). His tee shot, which attempted to reach the green in one, landed in the water left of the green, leading to a bogey. With 4 birdies and 3 bogeys, he finished 1-under, tying for 3rd place (15-under 269 strokes) with Tokyo Olympic gold medalist Xander Schauffele, shedding tears.

Defending champion Brooks Koepka (both from the USA) joined the tie for 3rd, and 'Number 1' Jon Rahm (Spain) finished tied for 10th (12-under 272 strokes). Sam Ryder (USA), who made a hole-in-one on the 'Colosseum' 16th hole (par 3) the previous day, finished tied for 23rd (9-under 275 strokes), and Carlos Ortiz (Mexico), who held another hole-in-one party on this day, finished tied for 33rd (7-under 277 strokes). From Korea, Kim Si-woo (27) and Kang Sung-hoon (35) tied for 26th (8-under 276 strokes), and Lee Kyoung-hoon (31) tied for 38th (5-under 279 strokes).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.