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WM Phoenix Open Preview, Picks & Analysis

By: | Mon 07 Feb 2022


AT THE lowest points in an 18-month struggle with left knee and hip problems, Brooks Koepka started to wonder if he would ever play again, far less recapture the form that took him to four majors. So his victory at the Phoenix Open last year was a big deal.

"It's been a wild ride for the last year and a half and very frustrating," Koepka said. "I've had moments where I didn't know if I was going to be the same, if I could even come back."

He looked as good as ever on the back nine in the final day at TPC Scottsdale, rallying for a victory that didn't seem possible not that long before.

"I went through it mentally," Koepka said. "I think that's probably the toughest thing, where you don't know if you're ever going to be the same competitor that you were. You go through some real dark places, and it's not a fun place to be."

On the 17th hole he chipped in from 32 yards for his second eagle of the day to break a tie for the lead. A routine par on the 18th gave him a one-stroke victory.

Five strokes behind Jordan Spieth and Xander Schauffele entering the round, Koepka shot a 6-under 65 to finish at 19-under 265. He also won in 2015 at TPC Scottsdale for the first of his eight PGA Tour titles.

On the 334-yard 17th, Koepka hit a fairway wood 305 yards to the fairway short and right of the green, then holed out to the largest roar of the day from the crowd limited to 5,000 a day.

"I felt like the chip, if I just caught it right in the fringe it was going to check up on me, and it did perfectly," he said. "Took a nice little right kick for me, and didn't look anywhere else but the hole."

The crowd was a fraction of the usual size but the most on tour during the Covid-19 pandemic.

"I've missed the fans," Koepka said. "Just being around fans is something else. I love it. I've played my best golf with fans, so just need to find something when they're not there."

Coming off a career-worst three straight missed cuts, Koepka rebounded from a bogey on the second with a 24-foot eagle putt on the par-5 third and birdied Nos. 13-15.

"I live for those moments where you got to close, you got to hit some quality shots, quality putts," Koepka said. "I just like showing off, I guess."

Schauffele birdied the par-4 18th for a 71 to tie for second with Kyoung-Hoon Lee (68).

"It was a good day to learn from some mistakes," Schauffele said. "Felt like I stayed pretty patient all day."

Lee birdied 17 to pull within one of Koepka, but drove into the right rough on the par-4 18th and had his 34-foot birdie try slide by on the high side.

"I'm pretty excited this week," Lee said. "Everything good - irons, driver, birdieing, everything - and a lot of saves."

Spieth and Schauffele struggled from the start, with Spieth bogeying the first hole after nearly driving into a desert bush. They each had two bogeys on the front nine, with Schauffele making the only birdie between the two on the front side on No. 9.

Schauffele and Spieth each drove into the water on 17 to end their chances, then both birdied 18.

"Tough start," Spieth said. "I needed to one-putt the last two to not have more than 36 putts today. Felt like I hit good putts, and as much as the lid was open other days, it was closed today."

James Hahn, three strokes ahead in the middle of the round, bogeyed four of the last eight holes for a 69. He finished 10th at 15 under.

There is no other tournament anywhere in the world that is quite like this one. They come in their tens of thousands and spend four days drinking vast amounts of beer as they barrack the best golfers on the planet. It can only be the Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale. 

Miss the green at the par-three 16th and you will find yourself being booed all the way from the tee until you get to your golf ball. Birdie the hole and the reception will be deafening. The organisers describe it as the greatest show on earth. It certainly isn’t that, and many purists simply hate it. There are also plenty of PGA Tour stars who routinely give Phoenix a miss but there are many more who just love playing here. And let’s face it, if you can play well in front of a crowd that can reach 750,000 over the course of four days then you should be able to cope with anything the game can throw at you.

Among the first to commit to this year’s tournament were World No. 1 Jon Rahm and 14-time PGA Tour winner Justin Thomas.

Rahm had a wonderful 2021 campaign that included winning the US Open at Torrey Pines and runner-up finish at the season-ending Tour Championship, There were also top-10 finishes in all four Majors, and a second overall finish in the 2021 FedExCup standings. And he has continued that outstanding form in 2022 at both the Tournament of Champions in Hawaii and the Farmers Insurance Open - a tournament he will feel that he should have won. Rahm has enjoyed three top-10 finishes at TPC Scottsdale in his six appearances, including his fifth-place finish in 2015 playing as an amateur. He finished 13th last year and has finished no worse than 16th in six starts.

Thomas had seven top-10s in 2021, including victory at the Players Championship and fourth-place finishes at The Masters and the Tour Championship. He finished fourth in the FedExCup standings. This will be Thomas’ eighth appearance at the WM Phoenix Open, with his best finishes a solo third place in 2019 and 2020.

A field of 132 players will vie for the $8.2 million purse, the $1,476,000 first-place check and 500 FedExCup points.  

Tournament Winners

The Phoenix Open was won in 2015 and 2021 by Brooks Koepka, in 2016 and 2017 by Hideki Matsuyama, in 2018 by Gary Woodland, in 2019 by Rickie Fowler and in 2020 by Webb Simpson.  

The Course

The Stadium Course at TPC Scottsdale was designed by Tom Weiskopf and Jay Morrish specifically to host the 1987 Phoenix Open. The par-3 16th hole on the Stadium Course is the only fully enclosed hole on the PGA Tour. The grandstands that surround the 16th have a capacity of 20,000. The course is a par 71 that measures 7,266 yards and features a lot of sand.

Form Guide

Viktor Hovland

If Jon Rahm turns up anywhere then you know he has only one thing in mind, and that is to win. And it is very difficult to bet against him. He had a bucketload of top-10 finishes in 2021 and has continued in the same vein this year. And here is the thing - he should have won the Farmers Insurance Open even though he was nowhere near his best. Viktor Hovland has now moved to third in the world rankings and has Rahm in his sights. The young Norwegian has become a winning machine. He won the Dubai Desert Classic, seven days after finishing fourth at the Abu Dhabi Championship. His victory in Dubai was his third in five starts. He is a phenomenal talent. You may be surprised to learn that the inscrutable Hideki Matsuyama has a great record here, having won the event twice. The course suits him and he is in form. Koepka is also looking a third victory here.

To Win:

Hideki Matsuyama. Looking for a third title 

Each Way:

Jon Rahm. Just gets better and better

Each Way:

Viktor Hovland. Now winning golf tournaments for fun

Five to Follow:

Hideki Matsuyama. Perfect temperament for this tournament

Jon Rahm. Should feed off the fans

Viktor Hovland. On the crest of a wave

Brooks Koepka. Don’t be surprised to see him go close again

Justin Thomas. Needs to iron out some uncharacteristic inconsistency

Five Outsiders to Follow:

Francesco Molinari. He’s back. Almost

Matt Kuchar. Showing some flashes of his best form

Gary Woodland. Perfect venue to get things back on track

Adam Schenk. Could be one to watch

Michael Thompson. Best beard on the PGA Tour


Image Credit: Kevin Diss Photography


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Tags: PGA Tour FedEx Cup daily picks



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