Monday, February 9, 2026 Balls & Bogeys Golf News Edition
Gotterup wins WM Phoenix Open on first playoff hole as Matsuyama limps to the finish
– by Associated Press / Golf Channel
Per The AP: “Chris Gotterup shot 7-under 64 and won the WM Phoenix Open with a birdie on the first hole of a playoff Sunday after Hideki Matsuyama pulled his tee shot into the water…”
B&B POV: Chris Gotterup swings it like Lanny Wadkins and right now is winning ‘em like Scheffler. This season he’s top 5 in Strokes Gained Total (SG:Total), SG: Tee-to-Green, SG: Off-the-Tee, Driving Distance, and Scoring Average. Heater. And he’s only getting started. He’s our pick to win the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale in July.
Patrick Reed wins again on DP World Tour, virtually locks up PGA Tour card
– by Cameron Jourdan / Golfweek
Per Cameron: “Eleven days ago, Patrick Reed announced his intentions to return to the PGA Tour after spending the last three-and-a-half years competing for LIV Golf…”
B&B POV: There is no question that Patrick Reed is a top 30 player in the world. And next season he’ll be back on the tour he should have never left. We’re not fans of Reed’s today, and we’ll never be, but he’s a proven winner and still young enough to win another 10+ PGA TOUR events and bag a couple more majors.
Photo: Dustin Poroy / AP Photos
Winners, Losers & Payouts from the 2026 WM Phoenix Open
– by Thomas Hamden / Balls & Bogeys
Per Thomas: Super Bowl Sunday in Scottsdale always feels a little different. That’s because the Thunderbirds have staged the PGA TOUR’s Waste Management Phoenix Open on Super Bowl weekend for years. And when the tourney heads to a playoff, which seems to be every year, by the time the players walk off the course, one happier than the others, the big game has kicked off. Yesterday was no different…
Click the button to view the full payouts:
Photo: Getty Images
What’s in the Bag (WITB) Chris Gotterup, 2026 WM Phoenix Open
– by Thomas Hamden / Balls & Bogeys
Per Thomas: “It’s no surprise that Chris Gotterup is still an equipment-free agent like he was when he last won at the Sony Open a whole month ago. And that his gear setup is identical. He lives and works in a world where everyone tinkers, and surely he will at some time as well, but for now, he’s playing with what’s helping him win, and no one can blame the guy. Today, he’s playing better golf than anyone else on the planet, and that includes Scottie Scheffler, whom Gotterup bested this weekend at the Waste Management in Scottsdale…”
Photo: Getty Images
Lynch: The Players isn’t a major and won’t be, unless the PGA Tour makes a big move — literally
– by Eamon Lynch / Golfweek
Per Eamon:“Since they’re new to golf, it’s possible that the PGA Tour’s CEO, Brian Rolapp, and his investors think the “March is going to be major” campaign constitutes artful marketing, rather than pointless pot-stirring that’s wearisome even to golf nerds, a clot usually eager to fight duels over esoterica…”
B&B POV: This is a great column that fuels the debate whether The Players should become men’s golf’s 5th major championship. We like the idea of staging the event every other year internationally on a World Top 100 track. Royal Melbourne. Tara Iti. Ballybunion.
FROM THE LESSON VAULT
‘Justin Thomas Shares Tip for Hitting Rippers with His Driver’
| Watch Justin’s video and other pros do it right on TV or in person. Practice smartly. And take what you’ve grooved out to the course. |
YOU HAVE TO SEE THIS…
Ouch!
Things you just can’t make up. Don’t miss these random nuggets of gold we found on the interwebs. You’re welcome.
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