Staying loose on the first tee at TPC Scottsdale, the 26-year-old knew he would need some help with Hideki Matsuyama still on the course with a one-stroke lead.
Gotterup got what he needed with a wild tee shot from Matsuyama on 18 and took advantage as the Japanese star did it again in the play-offs.
Gotterup shot 7-under 64 and won with a long birdie putt on the first hole of a playoff Sunday after Matsuyama pulled his tee shot into the water.
“You never know what to expect,” Gotterup said. “We went to the first tee, hit a few balls, watched, and then all of a sudden you’re on 18 and everyone’s going crazy and you’re like, OK, this is it.”
Matsuyama had entered the final round with one lead and had turned all of his previous five 54-hole leads into wins, but limped to the finish.
The two-time Phoenix Open champion nearly hit his tee shot into the water to the left of the reachable par-4 17th, leading to par, and pulled his drive on the left 18 into the pew bunkers – his 11th missed fairway of the day.
Matsuyama hit his second shot into the front of the bunker and couldn’t get up and down from 43 yards to send the tournament to a play-off. He shot 68 and matched Gotterup at 16 under 268.
“I wanted to avoid the play-off as much as possible, but at 18 I just hit a bad tee shot there in regulation,” Matsuyama said through an interpreter.
Gotterup, winner of the season opening Sony Opencapped off with a 10-foot birdie on 18 in regulation, despite hitting his tee shot near the grandstand right and watching Matsuyama finish between swings off the first tee.
The long-hitting Gotterup wanted to put pressure on Matsuyama in the play-off and did so by uncorking a huge drive down the right side of the fairway.
Matsuyama jerked his tee shot even further left than the rules, hurling it from the opposite side of the lake into the water. He hit his third shot onto the green after a drop, but Gotterup left no doubt by sinking his 27-foot birdie putt for his fourth career PGA Tour victory – second in three starts this season.
“I’m confident in what I’m doing and I feel like I’ve played well enough to be in those positions,” Gotterup said. “So far I have been able to benefit from that.”
He and the rest of the field had to deal with an attack from Scottie Scheffler.
The world No. 1 player went from being in danger of missing the cut during a shaky first round to turning heads as his name moved to the top of the leaderboard.
The two-time Phoenix Open champion had a run of four birdies in five holes on the back nine to pull within one shot, but was unable to capitalize on a huge drive on 18. He closed with a 64 to finish tied for third at 15 under.
Matsuyama won back-to-back Phoenix Opens in 2016 and 2017, rallying both times.
The Japanese star started the final round with a one-shot lead over four players, with several others in the hunt – led by Scheffler.
The world No. 1 opened the sport’s noisiest tournament with a 73 and then shot 65 in the second round, extending the PGA Tour’s longest active cuts streak to 66.
Scheffler trailed by seven after the second round, cut that to five after the third and began climbing the leaderboard on Sunday.
Scheffler had three birdies on the front nine and a run of three straight on the back – highlighted by a 70-foot putt from the edge on 14 – put him within one of the lead. A two-putt for birdie from 63 feet on 17 brought Scheffler back within one, but he missed a 24-foot birdie putt on 18 and saw his attack fall short.
“I played pretty well – only one round where I didn’t have my best stuff,” Scheffler said. “If I come into the house on the first day with a pair that is undersized, today is a little bit of a different story.”
Gotterup eventually wrote the final chapter – with some help from Matsuyama.
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