Daily Wrap-up, Round 4: Waste Management Phoenix Open (PGATOUR.com)

February 28, 2010

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP)—Hunter Mahan won the Waste Management Phoenix Open for his second PGA TOUR title, coming from four strokes back to beat Rickie Fowler by a shot in a 1-2 finish for former Oklahoma State players.

"It's always a little better to lose to a Cowboy," Fowler said.

The 27-year-old Mahan had an eagle and a pair of birdies in a late four-hole span Sunday to finish at 16-under 268. Mahan, whose first victory came at the 2007 Travelers Championship, closed with consecutive bogey-free 6-under 65s.

He's the eighth U.S.-born player still in his 20s to win more than one tournament.

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.

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 and 500 FedExCup points.

Although he hasn'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.

"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."

Heavy rain fell overnight at TPC Scottsdale and sprinkles lingered in the morning. But the rain subsided by the time the leaders teed off at noon.

The tournament, in its 75th year, was known as the FBR Open but returned to its longtime Phoenix Open name when Waste Management Inc. took over as the title sponsor this year.

The poor weather held the estimated final-round crowd to just under 44,000, well off last year's 60,000-plus. That brought the week's total attendance to nearly 426,000, down from 470,000 a year ago at the rowdy event that always draws the biggest crowds on TOUR.

Yang, whose PGA Championship victory made him the first Asian-born golfer to win a major, eagled No. 10, then reeled off four consecutive birdies to take the lead at 15 under through 15 holes.

Trouble came, though, at No. 17, where his tee shot bounced into the water. Yang's 25-foot putt for par was on line but stopped an inch short of the cup, and the bogey left him at 14 under.

Mahan, meanwhile, hit his second shot on the par-5 13th 250 yards within 7 feet and made the eagle putt to reach 14 under.

His 18-foot birdie putt on the par-4 14th moved him ahead of Yang at 15 under.

FedExCup facts With this win, Hunter Mahan:• Earned 500 FedExCup points• Moved into sixth in FedExCup standings• Is 223 points behind of Dustin Johnson

The clincher came at the notorious 16th, the par 3 surrounded by bleachers filled with noisy, irreverent fans who cheer and boo with equal enthusiasm.

Mahan's tee shot caught the edge of the green and he made the subsequent 14-foot putt to regain the lead at 16 under.

At the 15th, the open desert course's final par 5, Fowler chose to play conservative and lay his shot up rather than go for the green, which is surrounded by water. He said he felt he was a bit too far away from the pin to go for it, considering he was just one shot back and had what he felt were good birdie chances on Nos. 16 and 17.

"I felt that instead of bringing trouble into play … I took the safe route," Fowler said.

That left him with a par, and he missed birdie putts of 14, 17 and 30 feet on the last three holes.

Mahan sent his girlfriend to his car after he found a crack in his driver early in his round.

"Luckily the rules staff ran her out to the car and she got it before the next tee shot," Mahan said, "because the next hole is a par 5. I really didn't want to hit a 3-wood off the par 5."

Sunday's BestEASIEST HOLE TOUGHEST HOLE The par-5 15th hole was the easiest with a Sunday scoring average of 4.372.EAGLES: 2 BIRDIES: 47 PARS: 27 BOGEYS: 2OTHERS: 0 The par-4 11th hole was toughest with a Sunday scoring average of 4.308.EAGLES: 1BIRDIES: 4PARS: 49 BOGEYS: 18OTHERS: 6

INSIDE THE ROPES WITH THE PGA TOUR NETWORK PGA TOUR Network correspondent Michael Collins offers these observations from Sunday. Listen to PGA TOUR Live coverage on XM 146/SIRIUS 209 or right here at PGATOUR.COM. Well, it just wouldn't be fitting to end the West Coast Swing if we didn't have a cold rainy day. And that's exactly how the day started, forcing tournament officials to play lift, clean, and place (preferred lies) for the final round. The rain stopped before the leaders teed off but the temperature never got above 56 degrees.

Congrats to Hunter Mahan for the win AND the round of the day with a 65. But it's the story of Chris Couch that inspires me. Chris had shoulder surgery two years ago. The shoulder didn't heal properly the first year, so his rehab took an extra year. His 3-under 68 on Sunday got him a tie for 4th and some much needed confidence going into the rest of the year. He has to make just over $800,000 to keep his card. Keep it up my friend.

Because of the weather and the new date on the schedule, I thought that Sunday on my favorite hole may be a bit of a letdown. I thought wrong. The stands were packed, the crowd was as energetic as ever and the players were themselves. I love seeing Y.E. Yang fighting to win the tournament down the stretch. Though he hit his tee shot into the water on No. 16, he still walked over to the grandstands and threw a couple balls to the crowd. And even when he missed his par putt, he still threw his ball into the stands at the green to the delight of the fans.

I can't wait to head to Florida next week. As much as I have enjoyed the wet West Coast weather (NOT), I'm excited to return to my home state. Bermuda grass, Cuban food and hurricanes. Ok, scratch the hurricanes, but y'all know what I mean.

Going for the Green Waste Management presents the "Going for the Green" closest-to-the-pin contest. Waste Management will donate $25,000 to Keep America Beautiful in the name of the player who is closest to the pin at the par-3 16th hole at TPC Scottsdale this week. The distance from the hole each day will be added together to reach a cumulative total. Of the proceeds, 50 percent will go to the local Keep Phoenix Beautiful chapter and 50 percent will go to Keep America Beautiful's national Think Green grant. Rank Name Distance Round 1 Rickie Fowler 45 feet, 3 inches 4 2 Scott Verplank 48 feet, 9 inches 4 3 Ryan Moore 54 feet, 10 inches 4 4 Johnson Wagner 59 feet, 4 inches 4 5 Mark Wilson 60 feet, 8 inches 4 Live Essentials Follow every shot with our newest application The only place on the Internet for real-time live scoring Listen to expert commentary on the PGA TOUR Network News, notes, stats and analysis during each round