Wm phoenix opens

WM Phoenix Open: Akshay Bhatia produced a steady 4-under 68 to quietly climb into a tied-third finish at the WM Phoenix Open, while fellow Indian-American Sahith Theegala (70) suffered late heartbreak with a bogey on the 72nd hole to end tied-18th, a result that initially appeared to cost him a place in the next two USD 20 million Signature Events.

Relief followed later in the evening for Theegala. On the back of two Top-10s and two other Top-20 finishes in his last four starts, he received a sponsor exemption for the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, the first of the two upcoming Signature Events. While he still missed out on automatic qualification for both limited-field tournaments, the exemption ensured his strong early-season form will carry into Pebble Beach.

At the top of the leaderboard, Chris Gotterup produced a stunning late charge, birdieing five of his final six holes to post the clubhouse target at 16-under after a closing 7-under 64. Gotterup then spent a long wait on the practice range as Hideki Matsuyama, holding a one-shot lead, came to the 18th. Matsuyama bogeyed the closing hole to drop into a playoff.