Scheffler birdies the third play-off hole to defeat Cantlay, after both players finish on 16 under at TPC Scottsdale; Overnight leader Sahith Theegala claims a share of third alongside Xander Schauffele and Brooks Koepka
By Ali Stafford
Last Updated: 14/02/22 12:43am
Scottie Scheffler enjoyed a breakthrough victory at the WM Phoenix Open
Scottie Scheffler snatched a maiden PGA Tour title after coming through a dramatic play-off against Patrick Cantlay to win the WM Phoenix Open.
Scheffler made four birdies in a five-hole stretch on his back nine but missed an opportunity on his final hole to win the title in regulation at TPC Scottsdale, with a four-under 67 seeing him finish on 16 under alongside FedExCup champion Patrick Cantlay.
The pair both made two-putt pars on the first extra hole and scrambled to exchange pars on the next, before Scheffler drained a 25-foot birdie on the third play-off hole to secure a long-awaited victory.
Scheffler had started the year with two top-25 finishes on the PGA Tour
“Patrick [Cantlay] is obviously a phenomenal player, and I knew one of us was going to have to make a birdie,” Scheffler said. “Par wasn’t going to do it. This is a really hard tee ball for me. It’s hard for me to get it in play, so I knew if I had an opportunity I really had to take advantage of it.”
Overnight leader Sahith Theegala had held off the chasing pack until an unfortunate break off the 71st tee saw his ball finish in the water and lead to a bogey, leaving him to end the week tied-third alongside Brooks Koepka and Xander Schauffele.
Theegala’s tied-third finish is the best of his short PGA Tour career
Theegala’s overnight advantage quickly disappeared when Scheffler followed a 20-foot birdie at the second by taking advantage of the par-five next, only for the young American to reclaim the solo lead with a birdie at the par-three fourth.
A two-shot swing at the fifth saw Theegala register a second successive birdie and Scheffler drop a shot, briefly extending the advantage to three, before Cantlay – playing in the group ahead – reduced the deficit when he picked up a shot at the sixth to move to 14 under.
Cantlay narrowly missed out on a first win of 2022
Theegala bogeyed the seventh and lost his outright advantage when Cantlay made a tap-in birdie at the ninth, with the world No 318 then responding to his failure to get up and down from the greenside bunker at the 11th by holing a 20-foot birdie at the next to reclaim a share of the lead.
Cantlay edged back ahead with a two-putt birdie at the par-five 15th, only to find himself level again when Theegala produced a superb up and down from the sand to set up a close-range birdie on the same hole.
Theegala found water off the penultimate tee on his way to a costly bogey and Cantlay wasted birdie chances over his final two holes, as Scheffler followed three consecutive birdies from the 13th by adding another at the driveable 17th to jump to 16 under.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Sahith Theegala’s hopes of a maiden PGA Tour victory at the WM Phoenix Open were hampered after a nightmare break off the penultimate tee saw his ball finish in the hazard.
Scheffler had a glorious chance to snatch victory in regulation but missed his six-foot birdie try on the 72nd hole, with the 25-year-old then matching Cantlay’s par on the first extra hole and getting up and down from off the green to salvage another par on the next.
The world No 15 found the fairway bunker off the tee on the third extra hole but knocked his approach to 25 feet and nailed the birdie putt, which was enough for victory when Cantlay failed to convert his effort from several feet closer.
Feb 17-20 – The Genesis Invitational
Feb 24-27 – The Honda Classic
March 3-6 – Arnold Palmer Invitational
March 10-13 – The Players
“I played well today,” Cantlay said. “I didn’t make any bogeys, and I hit a lot of good putts and didn’t really get anything to go in all day. Scottie [Scheffler] obviously played really well this weekend and deserves to win.”
Billy Horschel finished two strokes back in tied-sixth alongside Sweden’s Alex Noren, while Justin Thomas claimed a share of eighth with Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama. World No 1 Jon Rahm played a three-hole stretch in four under on his way to ending the week inside the top-10.
A final-round 67 also saw Matt Fitzpatrick claim a share of tenth, while Carlos Ortiz followed a hole-in-one at the par-three 16th with an eagle at the par-four next on his way to matching Fitzpatrick’s total and ending the week on seven under.
