Matsuyama goes for rare three-peat at Phoenix Open

LOS ANGELES: Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama knows he’ll join an exclusive club if he can grab a third straight Phoenix Open golf title this week.

“I love it here,” Matsuyama said as he prepared to tee it up Thursday at TPC Scottsdale. “Being able to win twice the last two years have been really memorable for me and quite an honor.”

“I’m going to do my best this year to three-peat and if I was fortunate enough to do that, I think I would join the “King”, Arnold Palmer, as the only three-peat winner. That would be something.”

Palmer won three times in a row in Phoenix from 1961-1963.Over the last 40 years on the US PGA Tour, only Tiger Woods, Tom Watson, Stuart Appleby and Steve Stricker have won the same tournament three years on the trot. Woods has done it four times.

Matsuyama came from behind to capture both of his Phoenix titles in four-hole playoffs.In 2016, he trailed Rickie Fowler by two strokes with three to play and won the playoff by sinking a seven-footer for par.

Last year, he trailed former US Open champion Webb Simpson by four strokes going into the final round and lifted the trophy thanks to a 12-foot birdie putt at the fourth hole of sudden death.

He’ll play with Fowler and Simpson in the first two rounds.“It’s going to be kind of weird to play with them on Thursday and Friday,” Matsuyama said. “But hopefully we can all play well and be there together on the back nine on Sunday.”Matsuyama’s win last year marked a fifth victory in nine starts worldwide, a stretch that included a victory in the World Golf Championships HSBC Champions.