Cronkite News: Navajo golfer Rickie Fowler claims victory at tournament

Monday, February 4, 2019  

By Cronkite News Staff
Cronkite News
cronkitenews.azpbs.org

SCOTTSDALE — Despite heavy rain late Saturday night and early Sunday, the Waste Management Phoenix Open’s final round is underway.

The final pairing of Rickie Fowler (Navajo), Matt Kuchar and Justin Thomas teed off on time at 10:45 a.m. Spirited fans already filled the seats at the 16th hole.

Saturday’s competition was highlighted by the performance of Fowler, who hit 11 of 14 fairways and shot a third-round 64 to take a four-stroke lead over Matt Kuchar.

“We got 18 holes left, a lot of work, but we’re in a good spot,” Fowler said.

View this post on Instagram

We fought until the end!! And it was worth it!! 🏆

A post shared by R I C K I E (@rickiefowler) on Feb 3, 2019 at 6:58pm PST

Meanwhile, many players took a moment at 16 to touch a memorial for late PGA Tour pro Jarrod Lyle, who passed away six months ago after a battle with cancer. The memorial was the club he used to hit a hole-in-one at 16 in 2011, which was leaning against his golf bag with his hat on it.

“His wife and I stay in touch and we’re going to work on some stuff moving forward of what we can do and ultimately keeping Jarrod’s name alive,” Fowler said. “Special guy and it’s awesome to see the Thunderbirds and Waste Management go ahead and do that on 16 tee.”

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This story originally appeared on Cronkite News and is published via a Creative Commons license. Cronkite News is produced by the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University.