SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Brooks Koepka shook in from 32 yards for an eagle on the 17th hole to break a tie for the lead and then parred the final one for Sunday’s one-stroke victory in Phoenix Waste Management.
Five strokes behind Jordan Spieth and Xander Schauffele coming into the round, Koepka shot 6-under 65 to finish at 19-under 265. The 2015 four-time main champion won at TPC Scottsdale for the first of his eight PGA Tour titles.
On the 17th 334-yard, Koepka hit a fairway forest 305 yards to the short and left path on the green, then drilled out to the largest roar of the day from the crowd limited to 5,000 each day – a fraction of the normal size but mostly on Circulation through the COVID-19 pandemic.
Back at full strength after tying left knee and hip problems, Koepka bounced back from a bogey on the second with an eagle on the third par-5 and bird numbers 13-15.
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Schauffele put a bird on the 18th par-4 to tie 71 for second place with Kyoung-Hoon Lee (68). The Schauffele tied for fourth for the second week last year at Torrey Pines.
Lee Lee birdied 17 to pull inside one of Koepka’s, but moved south to the 18th par-4 and got a 34-foot birdie attempt to slip on the top side.
Steve Stricker, the 53-year-old U.S. Ryder Cup captain who was trying to become the oldest winner on the PGA Tour, shot 67 to tie him up for fourth place with Spieth (72) and Carlos Ortiz (64) at 17 under .
Spieth and Schauffele struggled from the start, with Spieth bogging the first hole after driving into a deserted bush. Each had two bogs on the face of nine, with Schauffele making the same birdie between the two on the front on No. 9.
Schauffele and Spieth each moved into the water on 17 to complete their chances, followed by the two birds 18.
Spieth fired 61 on Saturday for a share of the lead. Winless from the 2017 Open, the 27-year-old Texan is looking to form the form that carried him to 11 PGA Tour victories – three of them major – in his first five seasons of touring.
James Hahn, three shots ahead in the middle of the round, moved four of the last eight holes for round 69. He finished 10th at 15 under.
DIVOTS: Jon Rahm was in second place, No. 3 Justin Thomas and No. 6 Rory McIlroy tied for 13th at 13 under. Former Arizona State star Rahm fired 68, Thomas followed the third round 64 with 72, and McIlroy matched Ortiz for the best round of the day with 64 in his first start in the event.