World number four Fowler will be sick of the sight of the 17th hole as it proved his nemesis throughout the day.
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On the first playoff hole, at the par-4 18th, both players made par, including Fowler getting up-and-down from short of the green.
The 28-year-old Offalyman recovered from the setback of a third round 73 on Saturday which effectively ended his title challenge with an impressive final round that saw him leapfrog up the leaderboard and earn valuable world ranking and FedEx Cup points.
But then Lee had his fourth bogey on the par-3 12th to fall back to 10 under, and followed that with his fifth at the par-4 14th when his short putt for par popped back out to see the young Kiwi fall back to nine under, four shots behind the then runaway Fowler.
Matsuyama chipped in for birdie on the par-4 14th and two-putted for birdie on 15.
On the second playoff hole, he answered a Fowler birdie with one of his own, calmly rolling in a pressure putt to extend the playoff. “I’d say probably 99 percent were cheering hard for Rickie, but that gave me the motivation to go out and do it and win”. His second shot on the par-5 15th sailed left of the water.
Therein lies the issue with hindsight. “To be honest, I never imagined I could win at the beginning of the week”.
Matsuyama stepped in to make par and the victor admits adding a second title on the American circuit is a welcome relief. Perhaps he plays the 18th differently knowing he only has a one shot lead. After winning the 2014 Memorial tournament, Hideki spent 2015 racking up top 10 finishes. Missing the cut on the mark in the Farmers Insurance Open last week was a blessing in disguise, freshening him up for Phoenix. Meanwhile, Willett and Sullivan have totted up three European tour wins each in the past year. If this gets close, the man who repelled Rory McIlroy and Co in Abu Dhabi last month is by far the best equipped to deliver the killer blow.
And yet, even Hideki knows that the conversation will be about Fowler.
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Through a translator, Matsuyama said he was “surprised and sad that Rickie finished that way, but all I can do is my best”. “It kind of taught me how to be on the top and what I need to work on and what it takes to win a golf tournament”. “For a non-major, the Phoenix Open is as cool as it gets in professional golf”. The pair also put in notable performances during the EurAsia cup where Willett sealed the final points to gain the victory. – Corey Pavin birdied his last hole to shoot a 4-under 68 and take a one-shot lead over Tom Lehman into the final round of the Allianz Championship. And he did it all with a country’s hopes on his shoulders, and a rowdy group of fans rooting against him.
