‘The start of something special’
With infant son in attendance, Woodland wins on 1st playoff hole
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Gary Woodland beat Chez Reavie with a par on the first hole of a playoff Sunday in the Waste Management Phoenix Open.
Playing three groups ahead of Reavie, Woodland birdied three of the last four holes for a 7-under-par 64 — the best round of the day — to finish at 18-under 266 at TPC Scottsdale.
“I’m kind of overwhelmed right now,” Woodland said. “I’ve played well the last five years, I think I had six second-place finishes. I just haven’t put four rounds together. That was the struggle last year.”
Special day all around
Woodland celebrated with wife, Gabby, and son Jaxson Lynn, who was born a month premature in June. They were expecting twins but lost one of the fetuses in a miscarriage.
“For him to be here, it’s obviously a miracle,” Woodland said. “I’m just so excited to share this with him and my family. Hopefully, it’s the start of something special.”
Woodland opened with rounds of 67, 68 and 67 after getting some advice from instructor Butch Harmon.
“Butch sent me a text Thursday morning before I played and said, ‘Forget about everything else, let’s just put four rounds together. Don’t worry about what you shoot, don’t worry about winning, just put four good rounds together,’ ” Woodland said. “I don’t know if that put me at ease or what, but I definitely put four good rounds together this week.”
Reavie, who got his lone victory at the 2008 Canadian Open, made a 20-foot birdie putt on the par-4 18th to finish with a 66 and force the PGA Tour’s fourth consecutive playoff and the event’s third overtime finish in a row.
“It’s right up there with the putt I made to win in Canada,” the 36-year-old former Arizona State player said. “It was a lot of fun. Fortunately, I walked up and I really got a good read off it right away.”
In the playoff on 18, Woodland hit short of the green from the left fairway bunker and chipped to within 2 feet to set up his third PGA Tour victory and first since 2013.
“It’s been coming. We knew it the last month,” said Woodland, who won at Innisbrook in 2011 and in Nevada in 2013. “And sure enough today it all clicked and I made some putts early, gave me some confidence and really hit the ball well coming down the stretch.”
Reavie missed the green left in the playoff and could not get an 11-footer to fall.
“I carried the sign board here growing up when I was in high school and junior high and to have a chance to win the tournament this week was a lot of fun,” Reavie said.
719,179 for the week
Sunday’s crowd was estimated at 64,273 for a record weeklong total of 719,179. On Saturday, 216,818 jammed the grounds — the biggest turnout in golf history.
“They were great,” Reavie said. “Being a hometown guy, everyone’s rooting me on.”
After a bogey on the par3 16th, Reavie chipped to within 3 feet for birdie on the par-4 17th.
Woodland two-putted for birdie on the par-5 15th, curled in an 8-footer on the par-3 16th, made a 5-footer on the par-4 17th and parred the par-4 18th.
“I was in the zone,” Woodland said. “I really had it going.”
Ollie Schniederjans (65) and Brendan Steele (67) tied for third at 15 under.
Phil Mickelson had the fans roaring with three consecutive birdies — the second a 30-footer on 16. But, needing an eagle on 18 to tie Woodland, he drove left into the church-pew bunker Woodland hit into in the playoff and made double bogey. The 47-year-old Hall of Famer tied for fifth at 14 under after a 69.
“I just didn’t get it going early,” said Mickelson, who made his record-tying 29th start in the event he won in 1996, 2005 and 2013. “It was fun to be in contention. I had a great time coming down the stretch. I didn’t like, obviously, the last hole. … I hate finishing like that.”
Chesson Hadley (68), Matt Kuchar (67) and Bryson DeChambeau (70) matched Mickelson at 14 under.