SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — What did we just witness? Ryo Hisatsune just made a birdie at the 2026 WM Phoenix Open and took the commanding lead at TPC Scottsdale.
Kutsune, who had already made birdie, birdie, eagle and birdie on the 13th, 14th, 15th and 16th holes, hit his tee shot on the par-4 17th hole into the water on the left side of the green. This seemed to bring his momentum to an abrupt halt. But they don’t call this four-hole closing stretch a roller coaster for nothing.
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Kuchan took the ball and chipped in for birdie. You read that right. check it out:
That birdie put him at 11 under and a one-stroke lead over Japanese pro Hideki Matsuyama. Not since 1983 have two Japanese players finished first and second on the leaderboard after any round on the PGA Tour, according to PGA Tour Radio.
Just as exciting as the shot in the video above is the big smile on Kuchan’s face after he puts the ball out of the hole.
On the 18th, he hit the ball 329 yards and then hit his second drive from 23 feet. The final birdie was supposed to be a 29 on the back nine and a two-shot lead, but he missed the birdie putt to officially cool off. Still, the final score gave him an 8-under 63 and a one-stroke lead when he left the course at 6:30 p.m. ET on Friday.
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This article was originally published in Golfweek: WM Phoenix Open 2026: Ryo Hisatsune takes the lead with a water polo birdie