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Kevin Stadler takes Phoenix Open, first win of career

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Just three days short of his 34th birthday, Kevin Stadler carded a 3-under 68 in the final round of his 239th start to capitalize on Bubba Watson’s collapse en route to his first PGA Tour victory.

Stadler got off to a hot start in the final round, making three birdies on his first three holes to go 4-under on front nine. He was able to shrug off a double on No. 11 to be in position to birdie No. 17 and two putt No. 18 for the win.

The bigger story on Super Bowl Sunday was Bubba Watson’s failure to convert three solid rounds for his first win since the 2012 Masters. Watson’s final-round back nine, just like Saturday, was hampered with poor drives that cost him a stroke on No. 15 when he found the water and on the final hole. A bogey on “The Caldron” that is the par-3 No. 16 set up Stadler to tie and eventually win on No. 18.

An epic Sunday collapse by what would have been another wire-to-wire win, Watson saw his one-stroke lead erased after he hit it into a bunker on No. 16 and failed to convert a par putt. Watson ranked No. 1 in average driving distance and No. 1 for proximity to the hole for the week, but he failed to convert on the up-and-down on No. 18 to send the match to a playoff.

Canadian Graham DeLaet tied Watson at 15-under, posting a 65 in Round 4. He was in the clubhouse two groups ahead of Watson and Stadler, after seven birdies and one bogey. Graham posted a 65 on Saturday as well to get back into position from a 72 on Friday.

Phil Mickelson, an Arizona State University graduate, managed to sort out his back issues and make the cut. Posting rounds of 71-67-72-71, Mickelson struggled out of the box, finishing T42. He did manage to toss a few good spirals to the stands on Saturday on No. 16.

Brandon Steele posted a 62 on Saturday, claiming honors for the lowest round of the week. Other low rounds of 64 for the tournament were carded by former local Ryan Moore (Saturday), Brandt Snedeker (Friday) and Watson (Thursday).

With the win, Stadler moved up to seventh in the FedEx Cup standings, up 39 spots before the tournament. Other big movers include Hunter Mahan to No. 84, Watson to No. 17 and Cameron Tringale moving to No. 70.

Notables who missed the cut include Ian Poulter, Rickie Fowler, Lee Westwood, Billy Horschel, Keegan Bradley, Padraig Harrington and Ryo Ishikawa. These players will look to rebound next week as they join the rest of the Tour field at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am in California.

“The Greenest Show on Grass” produced a record-breaking attendance of 189,000 on Saturday, totaling more than 560,000 for the week, at the TPC Scottsdale’s Stadium Course.

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Ben is new to fatherhood and resides in Maryland. A sales manager by trade, he is a die-hard Arsenal FC supporter and is obsessed with golf! Follow him on Twitter @bmoregooner

1 Comment

1 Comment

  1. Tom

    Feb 3, 2014 at 10:28 pm

    I was happy for Craig, I mean Kevin Stadler. He looked a little nervous on the last green, but who wouldn’t be? Congrats to him!

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Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson

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GolfWRX is on site this week in McKinney, Texas, at the 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson (FKA the AT&T Byron Nelson).

Last year at TPC Craig Ranch, Jason Day ended a five-year winless streak. J-Day is in the field again, as are Jordan Spieth, Tom Kim, and Will Zalatoris.

We have our usual assortment of general galleries, WITBs, and pullout albums for your perusal. As always, we’ll continue to add links to additional albums as they make their way to us from the Lone Star State.

Check out links to all our photos below.

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Photos from the 2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans

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GolfWRX is live on site this week at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans for the PGA Tour’s one-and-only two-man team event.

As usual, general galleries, WITBs, and pullout albums — including some pretty spicy custom putters and headcovers — await your viewing.

Be sure to check back for more photos from the Big Easy, as we’ll continue to update this page with additional galleries throughout the week.

General Albums

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See what GolfWRXers are saying about our photos from the Zurich Classic of New Orleans in the forums.

 

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Photos from the 2024 RBC Heritage

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GolfWRX is on site this week at Harbour Town Golf Links on Hilton Head Island for the RBC Heritage. Plenty of golfers who competed in the Masters last week will be making the quick turnaround in the Lowcountry of South Carolina as the Heritage is again one of the Tour’s Signature Events.

We have general albums for you to check out, as well as plenty of WITBs — including Justin Thomas and Justin Rose.

We’ll continue to update as more photos flow in from SC.

Check out links to all our photos, below.

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