Phoenix Open title goes to Woodland
The Associated Press
Gary SCOTTSDALE,
Woodland won the Phoenix Open on Sunday, beating Chez Reavie with a par on the first hole of a playoff.
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 overall 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 secondplace finishes. I just haven’t put four rounds together. That was the struggle last year.”
Woodland celebrated with his wife, Gabby, and son Jaxson Lynn, who was born a month premature last 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.”
Reavie made a 20-foot birdie putt on the par-4 18th to 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 No. 18, Woodland hit short of the green from the left fairway bunker and chipped to 2 feet to set up his third PGA Tour victory and first since 2013.
“It’s been coming. We knew it the last month,” Woodland said. “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 couldn’t 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.
Sunday’s attendance for the final round was 64,273, giving the tournament a record weeklong total of 719,179. For the third round Saturday, 216,818 fans jammed the grounds — the biggest turnout in golf history.
“They were great,” Reavie said. “Being a hometown guy, everyone’s rooting me on.”
Langley wins with 5-under 65.
Scott Langley PANAMA shot a final-round, 5-under-par 65 at the Panama Golf Club, coming from six strokes back to pick up his first professional victory at the Web.com Tour’s Panama Championship.