Scottie Scheffler, Waste Management Phoenix Open live up to the hype
Scheffler is back to No. 1 in the world after winning the first full-field designated event and going back-to-back in the Arizona desert.
Expectations are often a conundrum. Optimistic anticipation can sometimes lead the imagination to places that reality fails to meet.
The future of professional golf is still up in the air, but the Waste Management Phoenix Open lived up to the hype this weekend as the first full-field designated event in the PGA Tour’s new structure. The designated events, which were a direct response to LIV Golf’s threat, are designed to get the best players in the world in the same events more frequently for bigger prize money and a better viewing experience for fans.
With 47 of the top-50 players in the world competing at TPC Scottsdale, this was everything the PGA Tour could have dreamt, and you don’t have to look further than the leaderboard for proof of success.
There were five major winners within the top-six. Eleven of the top-30 players in the world finished inside the top-30. The tournament was up for grabs until Sunday’s par-3 16th hole, when Scottie Scheffler saved par and Nick Taylor made bogey from an easier position, essentially clinching back-to-back Waste Management Phoenix Open titles for Scheffler.
The win moved Scheffler back to No. 1 in the world, marking his fifth-career victory and giving him his first since The Masters in April. He shot 19-under to beat Taylor by two shots and brushed aside Jon Rahm in Sunday’s final group. A lot of the talk surrounding World No. 1 entering the weekend focused on a debate between Rahm and Rory McIlroy, but no player on the planet has won as much as Scheffler over the past year.
The par on 16 and an eagle on the par-5 13th were the latest pieces of evidence that the Texan has an ability to shine when the stakes are highest. Any mid-range putt with an ounce of pressure feels destined for the bottom of the cup. Combine the clutch gene with absurd distance off the tee and irons as precise as a surgeon, and Scheffler has all the makings of a generational player.
For some reason, Scheffler’s 2022 was treated more like a one-off flash of brilliance than the start of sustained brilliance. If this designated event marked the start of a new era for the PGA Tour, the best player in golf announced himself as a central figure in the sport’s future, right alongside the international superstars of McIlroy and Rahm.
But the fun of this weekend was about so much more than Scheffler’s coronation. Phoenix is now one of the highlights on the golf calendar. The official numbers haven’t been released, but CBS announcers estimated more than 700,000 fans made their way inside the grounds over the tournament’s four days.
The party started Thursday, and it never stopped. Players could hear their name being chanted after birdies during Round One, and Saturday evening was a perfect display of just how fun golf can be.
The par-3 16th hole took center stage as the sun set on the third round in Scottsdale, Ariz. and the blood alcohol levels reached their peaks. The final group walked inside golf’s greatest stadium and elevated the tournament to new heights.
In-between clubs, Adam Hadwin backed off his tee shot and heard boos from the raucous crowd, but he sent the spectators into a frenzy when he stuffed his approach to 17 inches for a tap-in birdie. Minutes later, the frenzy turned into delirium when Rahm made a 40-footer for birdie. Both moments prompted beer showers from the fans packed on the grandstand.
No, the magic of Phoenix can’t be replicated at every PGA Tour event, and it shouldn’t. The novelty of golf’s loudest tournament would feel fabricated at other venues. In the Arizona desert, it’s genuine and thrilling.
Fortunately, what can be replicated is the best golfers in the world going head-to-head at a fantastic golf course.
Fans only have to wait four more days for the next designated event, when the PGA Tour descends on Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles. It’s one of the best golf courses in the world, and 23 of the world’s top-25 players will be there. After a tumultuous 2022, designated events give the PGA Tour’s future a brighter tint.
Oh, and a certain Eldrick Tiger Woods is joining the party. A beacon of the past, helping light the path forward.
Very nice
Great stuff Jackson! The surgeon line was top notch! Keep it up my guy!