The script was there for Rickie Fowler to throw down the gauntlet to golf's new big three but Hideki Matsuyama had other ideas.
Fowler seemed poised to send a message to Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy and Jason Day by collecting his fifth win in nine months when he forced a two-man sudden-death playoff on Sunday at the US PGA Tour's Phoenix Open.
But it was the 27-year-old American world No.4 who cracked first in a high-quality duel as Japan's 23-year-old Matsuyama prevailed at the fourth extra hole to claim his second US tour win.
Matsuyama, who has also won six times on the Japan Tour, has risen to 12th from 19th in new the world rankings, with a chance to put his own name among golf's new world-leading band of young guns.
"It's been a while since the first one and I'm just really happy today," Matsuyama told Golf Channel via an interpreter.
"At the start of this week, I wasn't really playing that well. Winning wasn't one of my thoughts. I'm just glad everything worked out fine."
Matsuyama displayed supreme poise in the clutch, overcoming a late two-stroke deficit in regulation as he finished birdie-birdie to catch Fowler at the TPC Scottsdale.
A Matsuyama victory seemed most unlikely when Fowler stood over an eight-foot birdie chance at the par-3 16th stadium hole with a chance to go three shots ahead.
But Fowler missed the putt, much to the disappointment of the gallery, and then compounded his situation by powering a driver into the water beyond the 17th green en route to a bogey.
In a dramatic finish to regulation, Matsuyama rolled in a 15-foot birdie dead centre at the par-4 18th, before Fowler matched him by sneaking in a nine-footer.
They both shot 67 to finish at 14-under-par 270, two strokes ahead of American Harris English.
New Zealand's Danny Lee, who started the day with a three-shot lead, stumbled early and shot 73 to finish fourth, three shots off the pace.
Matsuyama and Fowler opened the sudden-death playoff by playing the 18th twice, matching each other first with par and then birdie, before continuing at the par-4 10th, which they both parred.
The playoff finally ended at the par-4 17th, where Fowler drove into the hazard for the second time in barely an hour and could not save par.
Matsuyama had the luxury of two-putting from five feet to win. Fowler squandered a chance for his second victory in three starts, after winning the European tour's Abu Dhabi Championship two weeks ago.
Shigeki Maruyama, with three wins, is the only Japanese player with more victories on the US Tour.
Day remains at No.3 in the latest rankings, while fellow Australian Adam Scott drops to 18 from 15.
