Scottsdale, Feb 9 (IANS) 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.

The playoff was decided swiftly. Matsuyama again found trouble off the tee on the 18th, mirroring his wayward drive in regulation. Gotterup seized the moment, rolling in a 27-foot birdie putt to seal his second victory of the 2026 season and the fourth of his career. Matsuyama, who had won back-to-back WM Phoenix Opens in 2016 and 2017, was left to rue another late slip at TPC Scottsdale.

Bhatia’s week was a timely response after back-to-back missed cuts coming into Phoenix. Staying largely under the radar, he signed for five birdies against a lone bogey in the final round to secure a podium finish and inject confidence ahead of the high-stakes Signature Event stretch. The result underlined his growing comfort on demanding setups and his ability to contend when the scoring tightens.

Another Indian-origin player in the field, Sudarshan Yellamaraju, closed with a 73 to finish Tied-54th.

World No.1 Scottie Scheffler mounted a serious late challenge after opening the tournament with a 73. A second-round 65 kept his PGA TOUR-leading cuts streak alive at 66, and he steadily closed the gap over the weekend. Scheffler picked up three birdies on the front nine in the final round and added a hat-trick on the back, highlighted by a stunning 72-foot putt from the fringe on the 14th. A two-putt birdie from 63 feet on the 17th briefly pulled him within one of the lead, but a missed 24-footer for birdie on the 18th ended his hopes of forcing a playoff.

With Phoenix in the books, Bhatia carries momentum into the next stretch of the season, while Theegala, despite the late bogey, walks away with both solid form and a place at Pebble Beach — a crucial opportunity to push his case for the remaining Signature Event starts.