HIDEKI’S HAT TRICK HUNT & THE LIFETIME BAN - February 8th, 2026

We break down Round 3 of the WM Phoenix Open as Hideki Matsuyama eyes a third title and officials crack down on unruly content creators.WM PHOENIX OPENHideki Matsuyama sits alone at 13-under, looking to secure a historic "hat trick" of wins in the desert. He is holding off a jammed leaderboard at 12-under that includes Maverick McNealy and Ryo Hisatsune, who managed a miraculous chip-in on the 17th after finding the water.Matsuyama drained a massive 47-foot birdie on the 14th, noting later that the chaotic energy of the crowd actually helped his ball striking.Scottie Scheffler (-8) kept his 66-event cut streak alive thanks to a gravity-defying break where his ball stayed perched on a rock wall on 15, prompting him to admit, "That is not right."THE BAN HAMMERThe tournament took a hard stand against "nuisance influencers" by issuing a lifetime ban to YouTuber Jack Doherty. He was threatened with arrest after paying a fan to scream during Mackenzie Hughes’ backswing, sparking relief across the golf world.Smylie Kaufman weighed in on the chaos via Twitter with a volunteer offer regarding Doherty: "I’d like to give him a swirlie."Rickie Fowler offered genuine advice for fans wanting to avoid the circus, telling spectators to camp out on holes 3-8 for a better view of the action.Quick HitsKoepka’s mallet putter experiment fails • Spieth implodes on 17 • The "Reverse Mulligan" showdown Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.