Fowler hangs on for roller coaster Phoenix Open win

Winning isn't easy, just ask Rickie Fowler.

The 30-year-old battled rain, bad luck, and a rare ruling during Sunday's final round of the Waste Management Phoenix Open to hang on for a two-shot victory at TPC Scottsdale.

Fowler entered the day with a four-shot edge and faltered slightly with a double-bogey on No. 6. However, it wasn't until the par-4 11th when things really began to unravel.

Standing in the fairway with a five-shot advantage, Fowler pitched his ball over the green and into the water. Then in a bizarre series of events, his dropped ball rolled into the water again after being declared in play, forcing another one-shot penalty. In the end, Fowler carded a triple-bogey to see his commanding lead vanish.

While Fowler struggled on No. 11, Branden Grace made a birdie to close the gap to one stroke.

After another Fowler bogey on 12 and a second Grace birdie, the two-time Phoenix Open runner-up watched his five-shot lead vanish within minutes and was facing a one-shot deficit.

But Fowler would eventually steady the ship, pulling off a gutsy shot on the par-5 15th by going for the green in two from 252 yards. A birdie on No. 15 and another on No. 17 pulled Fowler out of the hole he put himself in earlier in the round.

He ended up shooting a 3-over 74 and finished the event at 17-under to seal his fifth career PGA Tour victory and first since the 2017 Honda Classic.

Grace - who nearly overcame a seven-shot deficit - finished alone in second.

Justin Thomas (14-under), Chez Reavie (12-under), Bubba Watson (12-under), and Matt Kuchar (12-under) rounded out the tournament's top six.