SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Chris Gotterup is making a habit of winning early in 2026, and he's doing it with the kind of finishing kicks that turn good players into champions.
The 26-year-old claimed his second PGA Tour victory in just three starts this season Sunday afternoon, outlasting two-time WM Phoenix Open champion Hideki Matsuyama in a playoff at TPC Scottsdale's raucous Stadium Course. The victory, secured with a birdie on the first extra hole after one of the most thrilling final rounds in recent memory, cements Gotterup's status as one of the tour's brightest young stars.
Standing on the first tee in the playoff, Gotterup knew exactly what he needed to do. Matsuyama had struggled with his driver all day, missing 11 fairways in the final round, and the pattern continued in the most crucial moment. After a distraction in the crowd caused Matsuyama to back off his first attempt, he re-addressed the ball and pulled his tee shot left — directly into the water hazard that guards the left side of the 18th fairway.
"You never know what to expect," Gotterup said afterward, still processing the magnitude of his second tour victory. "I just wanted to put pressure on him, and I did that."
The pressure came in the form of a massive drive that measured over 360 yards, carrying a fairway bunker that sits 340 yards from the tee. The ball settled comfortably in the right side of the fairway, leaving Gotterup with just a short iron into the green. Matsuyama, meanwhile, had to take a penalty drop and was left with a nearly impossible up-and-down to extend the playoff.
When Gotterup's approach settled safely on the green and Matsuyama's fourth shot came up short, it was essentially over. Gotterup calmly rolled in his birdie putt from 27 feet to seal the victory, sparking a celebration that sent the massive Sunday crowd into a frenzy.
The playoff was merely the exclamation point on one of the most impressive final-round performances of the young PGA Tour season. Gotterup closed with a scintillating 7-under 64, matching the low round of the day and turning what looked like a distant chance into a clubhouse lead that eventually forced Matsuyama's hand.
The key sequence came on the back nine, where Gotterup played the final six holes in 5-under par. He birdied the par-5 13th to move to 12-under, then added another circle at the difficult par-4 14th to reach 13-under. The par-5 15th yielded another birdie, pushing him to 14-under and firmly into contention.
After a par at the famous 16th hole — where over 20,000 fans packed into the stadium seating created a deafening atmosphere — Gotterup attacked the driveable par-4 17th. His tee shot found the front edge of the green, and a two-putt birdie moved him to 15-under.
Standing on the 18th tee, Gotterup knew he needed one more birdie to post what would likely be a winning or playoff-forcing number. Despite hitting his drive into the rough right of the fairway, he found a way to get his ball on the green and rolled in a clutch 3-foot birdie putt to reach 16-under.
"I was just trying to be aggressive and make as many birdies as I could," Gotterup explained. "I knew the guys behind me were playing well, and I needed to post a number that would put pressure on them."
As Gotterup signed his scorecard and headed to the range to stay loose, the drama on the course was just beginning. Matsuyama, playing in the final group with a one-shot lead, was struggling to find fairways but somehow maintaining his advantage through brilliant scrambling and wedge play.
The Japanese star didn't hit a single fairway on the front nine, yet somehow made the turn at 2-under for his round and 15-under for the tournament. His ability to manufacture pars from difficult positions — including a stunning up-and-down from a greenside bunker at the par-3 7th — kept him in control despite the wayward driving.
On the back nine, Matsuyama's scrambling continued to pay dividends. At the par-5 13th, after missing the fairway yet again, he hit what many observers called the shot of the tournament — a fairway wood from 240 yards that started right of the green and carved 20 yards left-to-right, landing softly on the putting surface and setting up a two-putt birdie.
That birdie moved Matsuyama to 17-under and gave him a two-shot cushion with five holes to play. But the margin wouldn't last.
A bogey at the par-3 16th, where his tee shot found the greenside bunker and he couldn't get up-and-down, cut the lead back to one. Then came the fateful 17th hole.
The par-4 17th at TPC Scottsdale is one of the most exciting holes in professional golf — a short, driveable par-4 where players can reach the green with a good drive but face significant danger with water lurking left of the putting surface.
Matsuyama chose to hit 3-wood, looking to lay back short of the green and leave himself a simple wedge. But the tee shot started left, heading directly toward the water that guards the left side of the hole. For a moment, it appeared Matsuyama's championship hopes were sinking into the hazard.
Miraculously, the ball landed just short of the water, no more than a few feet from the edge, and stayed dry. But Matsuyama was left with an extremely awkward stance, his left foot nearly in the hazard, and could only advance the ball a short distance. A mediocre chip and two putts later, he walked off with a par — but his lead had evaporated as playing partner Michael Thorbjornsen made birdie to also reach 16-under.
"I wanted to avoid the playoff as much as I could, but I just hit a bad tee shot there in regulation at 18," Matsuyama said through an interpreter after the round.
Coming to the 72nd hole, Matsuyama needed a birdie to avoid a playoff with Gotterup and Thorbjornsen. The par-5 finishing hole is reachable in two for the tour's longest hitters, but accuracy off the tee is paramount to have any chance at the green in regulation.
For the 11th time in the final round, Matsuyama missed the fairway. His drive pulled left into the infamous church pew bunkers that line the left side of the hole, a hazard that has claimed countless dreams at the WM Phoenix Open over the years.
From the sand, Matsuyama had roughly 240 yards to the green but a terrible lie with the ball sitting down in the bunker. He attempted to advance it up the fairway but caught the lip of the bunker, and the ball traveled only about 100 yards before settling in another awkward position.
Now facing a third shot from 140 yards, Matsuyama couldn't get the ball close, leaving himself a difficult up-and-down from 43 yards. His chip came up short, and the par putt never had a chance. The bogey dropped him back to 16-under and into a tie with Gotterup.
Thorbjornsen, who had been tied for the lead on the 18th tee, also bogeyed the hole after finding the water with his second shot, finishing one back at 15-under.
While Gotterup and Matsuyama were heading to a playoff, the tournament's most compelling storyline was arguably the furious charge mounted by world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler.
After opening with a disappointing 1-over 73 on Thursday — one of his worst rounds in recent memory — Scheffler faced a seven-shot deficit after 54 holes. Most players would have packed it in and started looking ahead to next week. Not Scheffler.
The two-time WM Phoenix Open champion fired rounds of 65-67 on Friday and Saturday to get back into the mix, then produced a brilliant 64 on Sunday that nearly forced his way into the playoff.
Scheffler's round was highlighted by a jaw-dropping 72-foot hole-out for birdie at the par-4 14th hole. The putt, struck from the fringe with perfect pace, tracked toward the cup for what seemed like an eternity before disappearing into the bottom of the hole. The roar from the gallery was deafening, and Scheffler pumped his fist in a rare display of emotion.
"I played pretty well — only one round where I didn't have my best stuff," Scheffler said, referencing his opening 73. "If I get in the house the first day with a couple under par it's a little different story today."
The birdie at 14 moved Scheffler to 13-under and within striking distance of the leaders. He followed with birdies at 15 and 16 to reach 15-under, then added another at the driveable 17th with a two-putt from 63 feet to get to 15-under — just one shot behind Matsuyama with one hole to play.
On the 72nd hole, Scheffler hit a massive drive that left him just 142 yards to the green. His approach landed safely on the putting surface, leaving him a 24-foot birdie attempt to potentially reach 16-under and join the playoff.
The putt looked good all the way, tracking toward the cup on a perfect line, but slid just past the right edge at the last moment. Scheffler tapped in for par, finishing in a five-way tie for third at 15-under alongside Akshay Bhatia, Si Woo Kim, Thorbjornsen, and Nicolai Højgaard.
The third-place finish extended Scheffler's remarkable PGA Tour consistency streak to 66 consecutive cuts made, the longest active streak on tour.
For Gotterup, the victory marks a remarkable ascent that few saw coming just a few months ago. The New Jersey native entered 2026 with just one career PGA Tour victory — last year's Sony Open — and questions about whether he could consistently compete at the highest level.
Those questions have been emphatically answered. With two wins in three starts to begin the 2026 season, Gotterup has essentially locked up his PGA Tour card for the next two seasons and positioned himself as a likely participant in this year's Signature Events.
More importantly, he's established himself as a genuine threat to win every time he tees it up. His power game — evidenced by drives like the 360-yarder in the playoff — gives him an advantage on most courses, while his newfound ability to close has transformed him from a talented player into a champion.
"This is what I've worked for my whole life," Gotterup said, clutching the trophy. "To do it here, at a place with this kind of atmosphere and this kind of history, is really special."
The victory also earned Gotterup $1.728 million from the $9.6 million purse and 500 FedExCup points, moving him to the top of the early-season standings.
For Matsuyama, the runner-up finish was particularly painful. The 33-year-old came agonizingly close to joining an elite group of three-time WM Phoenix Open winners, having previously claimed the title in both 2016 and 2017.
A victory Sunday would have been his first PGA Tour win since the 2024 season and would have re-established him as one of the game's premier players. Instead, he's left to wonder what might have been if just one or two of those 11 missed fairways had found the short grass.
"I felt like I played well enough to win," Matsuyama said. "I just didn't execute when I needed to."
Still, the runner-up finish is encouraging for Matsuyama as he looks to recapture the form that made him one of the world's best players. His short game was exceptional all week, and if he can find a bit more accuracy off the tee, more victories are surely in his future.
The playoff finish marked the eighth time in 12 years that the WM Phoenix Open has gone to extra holes, continuing a remarkable trend that has become part of the tournament's identity. The 2026 edition joins a list that includes playoffs in 2015, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024 — an unprecedented run of dramatic finishes.
For the massive crowds that pack TPC Scottsdale each year, the playoff was the perfect ending to a week that celebrates golf's unique ability to blend elite competition with a party atmosphere. The 16th hole, in particular, was in full voice all day Sunday, creating a cacophony of sound that could be heard throughout the course.
"The fans here are the best in golf," Gotterup said. "The energy they bring is unmatched."
As the 2026 WM Phoenix Open drew to a close, one thing was certain: Chris Gotterup had announced his arrival as a bona fide star, and the PGA Tour had better take notice. With his power, his finishing ability, and his growing confidence, there's no telling how many more victories might be in store for the young champion.
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