January 31 - February 03
TPC Scottsdale, Scottsdale, Arizona
$7,100,000

Round 1, Round 2, Round 3

Rickie Fowler survived a difficult back nine on Sunday to shoot a three-over 74, out-dueling Branden Grace down the stretch to win the Phoenix Open for his fifth US PGA Tour title.

Fowler lost a five-stroke lead on a roller-coaster back nine, and closed with the highest score by a winner in tournament history, but he still managed to banish some demons at TPC Scottsdale.

He held the 54-hole lead here twice before, including last year when he finished in a tie for 11th.

"I had to dig deep and fight through. It wasn't easy out there," said Fowler. "I am happy to get this one out of the way.

"It has been long time to get a win here. There have been plenty of good finishes, but too many second-place finishes."

His 17-under 267 total was good enough to win by two strokes over South Africa's Grace, who briefly held the lead on Sunday but made a bogey on 17.

Grace fired his second straight two-under 69 to finish alone in second.

American Justin Thomas was third after a one-over 72 for a 14-under total to finish three strokes back of his roommate this week Fowler.

Matt Kuchar (75), Bubba Watson (71) and Chez Reavie (68) finished tied for fourth at 12-under.

This is the PGA Tour's lone stop in Arizona and the only event on the annual west coast swing that's held outside of California.

For a while, it appeared the tournament might even be heading for a playoff for a fourth straight year as both Fowler and Grace found sand and water on the back nine.

Playing in a driving rain, Fowler had to survive a shocking triple bogey on the par-four 11th hole.

He chipped his third shot into the water. After his penalty drop, his ball rolled back into the water resulting in another penalty stroke. He would eventually sink a 16-foot putt for a wretched seven score.

Determined not to let another title slip through his fingers, Fowler helped clinch the win with a nice approach shot and then a two-putt birdie on 17. Fowler now has had seven career 54-hole leads and converted just two.

On the final hole, Fowler hit his third shot to three feet and then tapped in the winner for his first victory since the 2017 Honda Classic.

"I will tell you what, it wasn't fun," said Fowler, who had a five-shot lead at the tee at No. 11. "Couple bad swings, couple of bad breaks. You have to roll with the punches."

Fowler followed his triple bogey with another bogey on No. 12 but righted the ship with two birdies in the final four holes. Last year he stumbled to the finish with three straight birdies beginning at No. 15.

"No. 11 could have turned this tournament the complete opposite way, and, finally we got it done," said Fowler. "To finally get a win with my dad, grandma and grandpa around, happy about that."

Grace vaulted into contention with back-to-back birdies on 12 and 13 but lost his title bid with a bogey on the par-four 17.

He drove his tee shot into the water on the left then flew his chip shot past the hole and into a bunker. He eventually tapped in for bogey. He then made par on 18.

"He really dug down and pulled it off," said Grace of Fowler. "Be back next year for sure to hopefully go one better. Huge congrats to Rickie on the victory."

Grace plays on both the European and PGA Tour and is known as the first player in history of the European Tour to win his first four Europe titles in the same year.

Round 3 - Rickie Fowler stretches lead heading into final day

Rickie Fowler fired eight birdies in a seven-under par 64 on Saturday to stretch his lead to four strokes heading into the final round of the Phoenix Open.

Fowler, in search of his fifth PGA Tour title and his first since the 2017 Honda Classic, had a 20-under par total of 193 at TPC Scottsdale, where he held the 54-hole lead last year but finished tied for 11th.

"We've led for three rounds, now why not make it four," said Fowler, who has converted just one of his six prior 54-hole leads to a victory.

He has some breathing room, with a four-shot lead over US veteran Matt Kuchar, who had six birdies in a sparkling six-under 65 that put him on 197.

Justin Thomas, who started the day one stroke off Fowler's lead, nabbed four of his five birdies on the back nine in a 68 that put him alone in third on 198.

He was two strokes in front of South Korean An Byeong-hun (66) and South African Branden Grace (69).

Fowler separated himself from his pursuers with four birdies in his first six holes -- including a 37-footer at the fifth.

Fowler called the long birdie putts -- including his 18-footer at the first -- a bonus.

"Took advantage of some opportunities," he said. "It was fun."

After his lone bogey of the day, from a greenside bunker at the seventh, Fowler picked up three more birdies coming in at the ninth, 11th and 13th.

"Nice to finally feel the game clicking a little bit," Fowler said. "Last week (I was) still working on swing stuff and it wasn't quite there -- and I wasn't able to make nay putts either.

"I wouldn't say anything has been amazing, but everything has been pretty good this week."

Thomas, playing in the last group alongside Fowler and Grace, took a while to find his groove. He bounced back from a bogey at the second with a birdie at the third, but bogeyed the ninth to make the turn one-over for the day.

Thomas warmed up on the back nine, where his four birdies included a chip-in at the 11th and a 16-footer at 17.

Round 2 - Rickie Fowler seizes lead heading into the weekend

Rickie Fowler birdied his last four holes on Friday to seize a one-shot lead -- and at least temporary bragging rights -- over good friend Justin Thomas after two rounds of the US PGA Tour's Phoenix Open.

"It's fun, getting to play with your buddies, those are the people you want to lose to the least," Fowler said after his sizzling finish propelled him to a six-under par 65 at TPC Scottsdale.

His 13-under par total of 129 put him one stroke on front of Thomas, who carded a five-under 66 and at 130.

It was a further stroke back to South African Branden Grace, who highlighted his 64 with a hole-in-one, and American Trey Mullinax.

Fowler, who shared the overnight lead with Thomas -- his housemate this week -- and Harold Varner, was two-under for the day after three birdies and a bogey when he birdied 15 to launch his run.

At the par-three 16th, where a raucous crowd of thousands surrounds the green, he rolled in a 10-footer. He drained a 13-foot birdie at 17 and capped his round with an eight-foot birdie.

"I hit some really good putts to finish the day off," said Fowler. But with two runner-up finishes in Phoenix on his resume, the American was well aware that there remains "a lot of golf to be played".

"We're halfway, and we're going to battle it out," he said.

Thomas made the last of his six birdies at the 15th, bouncing back from his first bogey of the week at 14.

"To only have one bogey through 36 holes is good, especially when it very easily could have gone in for a par," who just missed his 10-footer for par at the hole.

"I'm playing solid. Rick, when he's playing like this at a course that he loves like this is going to be tough to beat. But 36 holes left and there's a lot of players that are within striking distance."

That included Grace, whose ace at the par-three seventh was just the first of his two eagles. He also chipped in at the par-five 13th.

Grace admitted his third career hole-in-one, and his first on the US PGA Tour, owed something to caddie Craig Connelly, who advised going with an eight-iron when Grace was contemplating a seven-iron.

"I said, 'OK, if that's what you think then I'm going to go for it,'" Grace said. "I felt really good over the shot, hit a great shot and the guys behind the hole actually started jumping up before the ball actually went in."

Mullinax also carded a 64, draining an eight-footer at 18 to join Grace in third place.

American veteran Matt Kuchar and Australian Cameron Smith were tied for fifth, both posting 65s for 132.

Five-time major winner Phil Mickelson, an Arizona State University graduate playing in his 30th Phoenix Open, missed the cut for just the second time in the last 10 years.

The three-time winner of the event carded a second-round 75 for a one-over total, missing the cut by two strokes.

Round 1 - Thomas, Fowler, Fowler & Varner tied for lead in Scottsdale

Justin Thomas drained four consecutive birdies to post a seven-under 64 and grab a share of the first round lead at the US PGA Tour's Phoenix Open on Thursday.

Thomas, who began on the back nine, birdied the last hole of his front nine and then added three straight to begin the back. He also had six birdies in seven holes during the middle of his round to finish in a tie with fellow Americans Rickie Fowler and Harold Varner.

"It was very, very hard to get the balls close to the pin early in the round," said the nine-time PGA Tour winner Thomas. "But I just continued to try to stay patient and was driving it well to where I had wedges and I made some very low-stress birdies."

Thomas, who was one of the pre-tournament favourites, tied for 17th last year. He also missed the cut twice in this event.

Fowler eagled the par-five 13th as part of a four-under score for his first eight holes, while Varner caught the leaders with three birdies on his final six holes.

J.T. Poston and Scotland's Martin Laird are both one shot back after shooting 65s.

The Phoenix Open is the only event on the Tour's west coast swing that doesn't take place in California.

The tournament has finished in a playoff each of the past three years, with Japan's Hideki Matsuyama winning two of those.

While Tiger Woods isn't making an appearance, the field is still strong and features 10 of the top 30 players in the world.

There will be plenty to sort out in the second round as 38 golfers are within four shots of the leaders.

Three-time tournament champion Phil Mickelson shot a three-under 68. With his 30th start in the event, he broke a record previously shared by Gene Littler, Jerry Barber and Australia's Jim Ferrier.

Mickelson, who attended nearby Arizona State University on a golf scholarship, is seeking his 500th official cut on the Tour.

"I shot three-under and it's an okay start. And to birdie the last feels good too, so it was a good way to finish," said Mickelson.

Organizers put Mickelson, Matsuyama and defending champ Gary Woodland together for the first two rounds as the trio have won this event a combined half-dozen times, including the past three years.

Matsuyama shot a 68, and Woodland is at three under, aided by a burst of three straight birdies on the back nine.

He was forced to withdraw last year in the opening round with a wrist injury that eventually saw him miss six weeks of the season.