Scottsdale, AZ – Chris Gotterup has won the 2026 Waste Management Phoenix Open. This marks his fourth PGA Tour win and second win this season. Along with the title, he wins the trophy, 500 FedEx Cup points, and $1.728 million.
The tournament concluded in a playoff between Gotterup and Hideki Matsuyama. Relying on his trademark driver play, Gotterup proved he deserved to be in a playoff. He shot a final round of seven-under par, birding six out of the seven last holes he played, including the single playoff hole. After winning the first tournament of the year at the Sony Open and finishing in a tie for 18th during the Farmers Insurance Open, this continues his hot streak.
Matsuyama had put on an absolute clinic of putting, shortgame, and scrambling in his final round. Whether he was chipping in from off the green or making long, unexpected putts, it felt like no shot was impossible for the Master’s champion. That is, until the last hole. There, an errant tee shot into the church pew bunkers would lead to a bogey, which triggered the playoff.
It wasn’t a one-off issue, for Matsuyama, as he hit only 3/14 fairways in his final round. His driver proved to be his ultimate downfall. Another errant tee shot during the playoff ended up in a water hazard. But with Gotterup confidently making a birdie, he was the one who really ended up winning this tournament.
World number one Scottie Scheffler was also surprisingly a factor on the last day. Like Gotterup, he scored a final round 64. Undoubtedly, Scheffler would have been an even more serious threat to win this tournament were it not for a costly first-round 73 that ultimately proved too big a deficit to overcome. He would finish in a tie for third place with Akshay Bhatia, who both scored 15-under par, and continues a streak of 18 straight top ten finishes and has 8 top five finishes, as well.
Next week, the PGA Tour will move to California for the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. There, world number 2-ranked Rory McIlroy will be looking to defend the title he won last year. He won’t have an easy time, however, as it’s a field filled with nearly every single one of the best golfers on the planet, including the other remaining top four players of Scheffler (1), Justin Rose (3), and Tommy Fleetwood (4).
Chris Gotterup’s What’s In The Bag:
Driver: Ping G440 LST (9°) / Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black RDX 70 TX
Mini Driver: TaylorMade BRNR Mini Copper (13.5°) / Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black RDX 80 TX
5 Wood: TaylorMade Qi35 (18°) / Mitsubishi Diamana WB 83 TX
Irons: Bridgestone Tour B 220 MB (4-9) / KBS C-Taper 130 X
Wedges: TaylorMade MG5 (46°, 52°, 56°, 60°)
Putter: TaylorMade Spider X Tour
Ball: Bridgestone Tour B X Mindset
Drew is an entertainment journalist that has covered everything from golf, TV/film, art, and food for years. He’ll be looking to bring you the latest stories from the PGA Tour and the greatest equipment on offer. A single-digit handicap, he’s been playing competitive golf since childhood, and recorded three holes-in-one by the time he was 13. Based in Chicagoland, he’s always down for a round and a hot dog at the halfway house so be sure to follow him on instagram @drewjkoch, so feel free to say hi.
