Updates
Mon, Mar 1st 2010, 09:09
Mahan edges Fowler to win Phoenix Open
Hunter Mahan and Rickie Fowler both came out of Oklahoma State with big expectations. There, the similarities end.
Mahan is reserved and unassuming, Fowler tends toward the flamboyant.
The quiet one prevailed, barely, at the Phoenix Open.
Mahan defeated the younger Fowler by a stroke on Sunday for his second PGA Tour victory. For now, Fowler will have to settle for another second close call in Arizona.
The 27-year-old Mahan had an eagle and a pair of birdies in a late four-hole span to finish at 16-under 268. Mahan, whose first victory came at the 2007 Travelers Championship, closed with two bogey-free 6-under 65s.
Fowler, just 21 and a tour rookie, had a final-round 68 for the second runner-up finish of his young career, both of them in Arizona.
In his second PGA Tour event last Oct. 25, Fowler lost in a three-way playoff to Troy Matteson in the Frys.com Open just down the road at the Grayhawk Golf Club.
“Been in a playoff and having a putt to go into the playoffs,” Fowler said, “so obviously I’m going to try to play out here as much as I can.”
Mahan and Fowler barely know each other, but they are Cowboys through and through.
“Oklahoma State has had a lot of great players, and they keep putting them out there it seems like every year,” Mahan said. “Rickie is a great player and a great kid. I’m proud to call him a Cowboy.”
Added Fowler, “It’s always a little better to lose to a Cowboy.”
South Korea’s Y.E. Yang also shot a 65 to finish at 14 under, two off the pace. Last year’s PGA Championship winner, Yang led until his tee shot went in the water at No. 17.
Mathew Goggin, Chris Couch and Charles Howell III tied for fourth at 13 under.
Third-round leader Brandt Snedeker struggled mightily with a 78 to wind up far back at 7 under.
The win was worth $1.08 million.
Although he hadn’t won, Mahan has played well the past two years. He played on the 2008 Ryder Cup team and had six top-10s in 2009, including a runner-up finish at the AT&T National. His earnings the last two years topped $5 million.
“It’s just finding a way to win. I just haven’t been able to do it,” he said. “So obviously it feels great to get off the year on my fifth tournament to win. It gives me a lot of confidence in myself that I’m doing the right things in my game, and it feels great, it really does.”
Comments
Pete | on 2/3/10
Hey Hunter/John.
Big fan from Canada. Just wanted to say congrats on the win. Something tells me it won’t be long till number 3 ;-) Good luck the rest of the way..
Pete
Q & A
Got a Question for Hunter Mahan? Ask it here.
Caddie's Corner
Hunter’s Caddie, John Wood, gives you the inside scoop on life in the PGA. Find tips, recommendations, and insider info usually reserved for tour pros right here at the Caddie’s Corner.
Ryder Cup Journal: The Trip Out—Or Third Time’s the Charm
Ryder Cup Journal: The Course..and where are my red ruby slippers?