THE Waste Management Phoenix Open is best known for the outrageous number of spectators that flood through the gates at TPC Scottsdale (in 2016 more than 200,000 in one day alone and over 600,000 for the week) and the fact that most of them head straight to the 16th hole, the famous par-3 that is surrounded by stadium grandstands which creates a completely unique golfing environment, less “Silence Please” than “Make some noise!”
This year the property will be limited to 5,000 fans per day which is more than many other events are permitted at the moment, but it will definitely alter the dynamic from past renewals and the many players who’ve thrived on the thrill of playing in a raucous atmosphere will need to light the fire in their belly more or less by themselves. Here’s three who can give us a good run for our money.
Each Way – Webb Simpson 14/1
When the 35-year-old American claimed the 2012 US Open as his third victory in the paid ranks it may have come a little soon because it seemed to throw him off kilter and before long he had to deal with a second, and even more troublesome, blow to his future prospects. An enthusiastic user of the broom-handled putter, his game hit the doldrums when he was forced by revised regulations to leave it in the garage. A five-year win drought followed, but he got his head down, found a putter he trusted and once he returned to the winner’s circle (in stunning style, too, at the 2018 PLAYERS Championship), he’s become a regular feature at the head of the betting markets.
But within his general excellence over the last 18 months there has been a notable split. In 13 starts on Poa and bent grass greens he’s bagged eight top 20s with a best of tied sixth. In contrast, on Bermuda grass putting surfaces, he’s made another 13 appearances, landing 12 top 20s of which eight are top fours and two victories. The most recent of those efforts was in his last start, at the Sony Open, and one of the wins was at this event last year. Nor was it the first time he’s thrived at TPC Scottsdale – he owns seven top 20s which, in addition to the win, includes a play-off defeat and a strong effort in 2012 when he was second after 54 holes. Safe to say that the track and the conditions are right in Simpson’s sweet spot.
Each Way – Will Zalatoris 45/1
Exciting 24-year-old Will Zalatoris closed out last week’s Farmers Insurance Open with an audacious second shot into the par-5 final hole that set up an eagle-3 that confirmed his fourth top ten in just seven starts since he made the leap from the second tier Korn Ferry Tour. Those results at the top level are very different to the seven missed cuts and one weekend finish of T68th which he managed up the end of 2018. But after grafting his way on to the 2019 KFT via Monday Qualifying he dominated the circuit last year and looks set to maintain his momentum this season.
Utilizing the slope perfectly.
From 224 yards to 4 feet for @WillZalatoris.
This eagle gets him inside the top 10 @FarmersInsOpen.#AonRiskReward pic.twitter.com/I1CSi5lLP7
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) January 31, 2021
What’s more, his aggressive play, which is informed by Scott Fawcett the same strategist Bryson DeChambeau employs, should be well-suited by the TPC Scottsdale test. It features par-5s and short par-4s which demand well-executed, bold plays and help sort the wheat form the chaff on the leaderboard. It’s also the case that winners here have excelled in Strokes Gained Tee to Green, with a ranking built heavily on a very good SG Approach game. Given that Zalatoris currently ranks fourth for the former and fifth for the latter, this could well be the week when a bright new talent cashes another big cheque.
Outsider – Russell Henley 66/1
Three-time PGA Tour winner Russell Henley had a pretty rough time of it throughout most of 2018 and 2019, but in 2020 he began to quietly reap far more impressive results, ticking off 11 top 30s, six of them top tens. That upturn in form has been fuelled by an excellent long game that saw him ranked third for SG Approach last season and lie fourth in this campaign.
It would be fair to say that putting is the missing piece of the puzzle, but if he is going to find it, it will surely be on the Bermuda grass greens which have been a constant in his three wins at this level and most of his best results. Form-wise he contended in the Sony Open last month and he has landed two top 20s in his last four visits to the course.
