Bizarre sequence costs Rickie Fowler the lead at the Phoenix Open
Feb 3, 2019, 2:47 PM
Rain falls as Rickie Fowler walks off the fifth tee box during the final round of the Phoenix Open PGA golf tournament, Sunday, Feb. 3, 2019, in Scottsdale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Matt York)
(AP Photo/Matt York)
Rickie Fowler looked well on his way to winning the 2019 Waste Management Phoenix Open.
He led the field by four shots with less than half a round to go, then he reached hole 11.
A bizarre, water-filled sequence saw Fowler’s lead become just one shot at the time and made the final few holes a lot more nerve wracking than they should have been.
Fowler’s chip shot on the Par 4 hole flew over the green, down a hill and into a water hazard, a one-stroke penalty.
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The oddity happened following Fowler’s drop of the ball.
It slid back down into the water when he was surveying the green, a mistake a PGA rules official said would cost him another stroke.
Fowler finished with a 7 — a triple bogey — on the hole.
Rickie Fowler has made a triple bogey 7.
The lead is down to 1. pic.twitter.com/1gZxTfJvVJ
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) February 3, 2019
He bogeyed the next hole and by the time he reached the 13th hole, was trailing Branden Grace by one stroke for the lead.
It could end up costing Fowler, who has now shot five strokes above par in the final round, the tournament victory.
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