WM Phoenix Open
The Stadium Course at TPC Scottsdale
Scottsdale, Arizona
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NOW PLAYING:
| Host Course | The Stadium Course at TPC Scottsdale |
| Yards (per official scorecard): | 7,261. |
| Par: | 71 (35-36). |
| Greens: | Poa annua; 7,100 square feet on average. |
| Stimpmeter: | 12 feet. |
| Rough: | Overseeded Rye and Poa annua around two inches. |
| Bunkers/Water Hazards/In-Play | 67/3/6 |
| Architect(s): | Tom Weiskopf & Jay Morrish (1986); Tom Weiskopf (2014 renovation). |
| Defending Champion (event): | Scottie Scheffler (-19) |
| Multiple Champion(s) Entered: | Scheffler (2023, 2022), Hideki Matsuyama (2017, 2016) and JB Holmes (2006, 2004). |
| Course Record: | 61; Jordan Spieth (Round 3, 2021); Wyndham Clark (Round 1, 2020). |
| 72 Hole Tournament Record (post-2014 renovation) | 19-under; Scottie Scheffler (2023). |
| Fact of the Week: | Steve Stricker was the last player to win an event three consecutive years (John Deere Classic 2009-2011). |
| Fact of the Week II: | Only three internationals have won since 2000. |
Notes:
- Field of 132.
- THE CUT returns this week. The top 65 and ties advance to the final two rounds.
- The OWGR is represented by 27 of the top 50.
- $8.8 million – $1.584 million – 500 FedExCup points – Sentry, PLAYERS, and Masters ticket punched.
Season Winners
2023 Season Winners
| Event | Winner |
| Sentry Tournament of Champions | Jon Rahm |
| Sony Open in Hawaii | Si Woo Kim |
| The AMERICAN EXPRESS | Jon Rahm (2) |
| Farmers Insurance Open | Max Homa (2) |
| AT&T Pebble Beach | Justin Rose |
| WM Phoenix Open | Scottie Scheffler |
| The Genesis Invitational | Jon Rahm (3) |
| The Honda Classic | Chris Kirk |
| Arnold Palmer Invitational | Kurt Kitayama (first TOUR win) |
| THE PLAYERS Championship | Scottie Scheffler (2) |
| Valspar Championship | Taylor Moore (first TOUR win) |
| Corales Puntacana | Matt Wallace (first TOUR win) |
| WGC – Dell Technologies MP | Sam Burns |
| Valero Texas Open | Corey Conners |
| Masters | Jon Rahm (4) |
| RBC Heritage | Matt Fitzpatrick |
| Zurich Classic of New Orleans | Davis Riley & Nick Hardy (first TOUR win for each) |
| Mexico Open at Vidanta | Tony Finau (2) |
| Wells Fargo Championship | Wyndham Clark (first TOUR win) |
| AT&T Byron Nelson | Jason Day |
| PGA Championship | Brooks Koepka |
| Charles Schwab Challenge | Emiliano Grillo |
| Memorial | Viktor Hovland |
| RBC Canadian Open | Nick Taylor |
| U.S. Open | Wyndham Clark (2) |
| Travelers Championship | Keegan Bradley (2) |
| Rocket Mortgage Classic | Rickie Fowler |
| John Deere Classic | Sepp Straka |
| Genesis Scottish Open | Rory McIlroy (2) |
| The Open Championship | Brian Harman |
| 3M Open | Lee Hodges (first TOUR win) |
| Wyndham Championship | Lucas Glover |
| FedEx St. Jude Championship | Lucas Glover (2) |
| BMW Championship | Viktor Hovland (2) |
| TOUR Championship | Viktor Hovland (3) |
| Fortinet Championship | Sahith Theegala |
| Sanderson Farms Championship | Luke List |
| Shriners Children’s Open | Tom Kim |
| ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP | Collin Morikawa |
| World Wide Technology | Erik van Rooyen |
| Butterfield Bermuda | Camilo Villegas |
| The RSM Classic | Ludvig Aberg |
2024 Season Winners
| Event | Winner |
| The Sentry | Chris Kirk |
| Sony Open in Hawaii | Grayson Murray |
| The American Express | Nick Dunlap (a) |
| Farmers Insurance Open | Matthieu Pavon (rookie) |
| AT&T Pebble Beach | Wyndham Clark (54 holes – weather) |
| WM Phoenix Open |
Recent Winners – WM Phoenix Open
Italics – not entered this week.
| Year | Winner | Notes |
| 2023 | Scottie Scheffler (-19) | Tied the tournament scoring record defending his title. Won by two shots over Nick Taylor. Third place was five back. |
| 2022 | Scottie Scheffler (-16) | Defeated Patrick Cantlay in a playoff to win for the first time on TOUR. |
| 2021 | Brooks Koepka (-19) | Set the tournament scoring mark holding off KH Lee and Xander Schauffele by a shot. |
| 2020 | Webb Simpson (-17) | Defeated Tony Finau in a playoff. |
| 2019 | Rickie Fowler (-19) | Sat 20-under after 54 holes before eventually winning by two shots in cool, rainy, conditions. |
| 2018 | Gary Woodland (-18) | Defeated Chez Reavie in a playoff; Circled 26 birdies. |
| 2017 | Hideki Matsuyama (-17) | Successfully defended his title knocking out Simpson in a playoff. |
| 2016 | Hideki Matsuyama (-14) | Won in his third attempt defeating Fowler in a playoff. |
| 2105 | Brooks Koepka (-15) | Won on his debut and won for the first time on TOUR. |
Angles
The People’s Open is the largest attended sporting event outside The Olympics.
Over 700,000 people will pack into TPC Scottsdale during the practice rounds and tournament play.
Players distracted by noise, crowds, or nightlife probably didn’t enter this week.
It’s the fourth consecutive week on Poa annua greens but the first in four weeks where only one course will be in play.
Desert golf usually means sunshine, light winds, and warm temperatures. Not this week. Take a look. Cold mornings and the lack of sunshine will make this a miserable slog. Thankfully, TPC Scottsdale drains nicely.
A wet golf course on Thursday will expand the fairways. Less roll equals more width and tighter angles can possibly be attacked. Will it matter if you can’t feel your hands???
The Par-71 has played 7,261 yards since the 2019 edition. Taking advantage of scoring conditions (read: not firm and fast greens) should resemble a dart board. The average winning score here in perfect conditions is around 17-under. Time to score again this week.
One and Done
I’ll be joining Spotter’s game again this season. Now, where did I put my checkbook…
35 events.
1 player per event (plus a backup pick if your guy gets kidnapped on Wednesday night and doesn’t make it to the first tee Thursday).
1 use per year.
Add up the total money and Spotter is yer uncle!
| Event | Selection | Earnings |
| The Sentry | Collin Morikawa | 690,500 |
| Sony Open in Hawaii | Corey Conners | 18,592 |
| The American Express | Adam Hadwin | 310,800 |
| Farmers Insurance Open | Jason Day | 0 |
| AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am | Jordan Spieth | 70,125 |
| Total Winnings: | 1,090,017 |
His game has more fun stuff to it so reach out @A340Spotter on Twitter or A340Spotter@frontier.com for more details and to join.
Recapping Last Week – AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am
The second of eight Signature Events, there is NO CUT this week. Toss in wind, rain, and amateurs, and it might be a week to stray from the biggest of names.
Or not.
My theory in this game is simple: You’re not missing out. If you don’t take Scheffler this week and he wins, it’s not one and done. He will play all of the majors, THE PLAYERS, most of the other six Signature Events and the first two rounds of the FedExCup Playoffs. He’s good enough to win again and possibly after that.
MY CHOICE: Jordan Spieth – T39
He embraces the format, can handle the weather, and has the results to back it up. If you’re saving him for the Masters, please re-read the above. I’m trying to catch him on the up on ANOTHER course he has figured out. I didn’t think he would fire at Kapalua, and I was wrong by miles (solo third). After back-to-back top six paydays, I’m going in.
Never in it from the jump, the Texan sat a mile off the lead when the tournament was, rightly, called after 54 holes. I took a chance. I didn’t hit.
Other to Consider:
Viktor Hovland: The 2018 U.S. Amateur winner here has plenty of reps at Pebble. He lives in Oklahoma where wind is just part of life. The only upside of choosing Spieth instead is saving Hovland for later. Cashing T58 and withdrawing from WM Phoenix Open this week wasn’t what I had in mind.
Rory McIlroy: To me, he makes absolutely no sense this week. Not with the events left on the schedule. Not with the tracks he’s crushed still to come. I’ll point out he’s on fire. Got it. Desert golf, with no wind and warm temperatures, is exactly the opposite of what he will face this week. Posted one round in the 60s for T66 out of 80 players.
Ludvig Aberg: There’s nothing left to be written about the Swedish star in the making. The next step for gamers is figuring out his sweet spot. If you’re on the fence this week about the weather/event/choice there are a ton of worse places to default to than this guy. Solo second.
Tommy Fleetwood: Can we get somebody to whisper in his ear that is U.S. Open week? Good job if you resisted! T31.
Jason Day: Because I had him last week. Closed with 63 for T6. Yep, THIS WEEK.
Longshots
Ben An – T31
Denny McCarthy – T26
Nick Taylor – T71
Seamus Power – T31
This Week – WM Phoenix Open
History suggests the BIG PARTY in the desert brings us a big champion (see the table above). Only Webb Simpson (not entered) has won this event BEFORE winning a major championship, but the point stands. TPC Scottsdale identifies big-time talent. The only champion on the list above who has not won a major, to the surprise of many, is Rickie Fowler.
The way 2024 has begun it is OBVIOUS the winner this week will be a Monday Qualifier or the last man into the field after a WD. All five winners have been just short of or above 100-1 to win this season. Wyndham Clark’s victory last week just added to that total as he was as long as 125-1 in places and 66-1 in others.
Whatever
MY CHOICE: Matt Fitzpatrick
It will be cold, and damp, and players will be either into this weather or mentally checked out. The Englishman should feel right at home.
Strong off the tee, this major winner isn’t going to lose any shots on or around the greens either. Making his third consecutive start (T29-T10), it’s obvious he’s not bothered by the raucous environment.
Other to Consider:
Scottie Scheffler: If I am going to use him once and only once, thems the rules, I’m going down in an event with BIG BUCKS on the table.
Justin Thomas: Current heat mixes nicely with course form. At this point, I can’t talk myself out of him at Valhalla. You do you.
Hideki Matsuyama: Legit course horse.
Max Homa: No, thanks. Next week.
Wyndham Clark: Following up a round of 60 in victory seems a bit of a stretch.
Byeong Hun An: The putter isn’t the answer, but he won’t miss many Fairways and GIR.
Longshots
Keith Mitchell
Corey Conners
Vincent Norrman
Victor Perez
Glass Houses 