Preview and Prediction for the 2015 Phoenix Waste Management Open
The 2015 Phoenix Open, along with other sporting events, was always going to be a footnote to the other event taking place in Arizona this Sunday. It then becomes a race to see who emerges as the biggest footnote of them all.
Tiger Woods, making his 2015 debut, may make the Phoenix Open the king of the footnotes this weekend.
"It will be great to return to Phoenix," Woods wrote on his website. "The crowds are amazing and always enthusiastic, and the 16th hole is pretty unique in golf."
So, yes, his attendance makes the Phoenix Open more of a draw than it otherwise would be. Add to that Phil Mickelson, Bubba Watson and a patched-up Robert Allenby, and this renewal of the Phoenix Open is as good as it gets.
Read on for a primer of this week’s featured tournament.
Where to Watch
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TPC Scottsdale
7,266 yards, Par 71
What
Total Purse: $6,300,000
Winners Share: $1,134,000
FedEx Points to Winner: 500
When
Thursday-Friday
3-7 p.m. ET, Golf Channel
Saturday-Sunday
1-2:30 p.m., Golf Channel; 3-6 p.m., CBS
Biggest Storylines
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Tiger Woods Makes His 2015 Debut
Not many saw this coming. With Torrey Pines coming up a week after the Phoenix Open, few thought Woods would make his debut here at TCP Scottsdale. It's the first time he returns to the course in 14 years.
Woods is winless in four starts at Phoenix, but he did raise the roof at No. 16. Just look at the gallery. Maybe this is Woods’ subliminal attempt at reclaiming the glory of yesteryear.
Alan Shipnuck, a senior writer for Sports Illustrated, said, "I stopped having expectations for Tiger years ago. With him now, it's all wait-and-see. I sincerely hope he doesn't have the chip-yips as he did at the Hero—seeing that gave me the heebie-jeebies. The 16th hole is gonna be nuts. In a good way."
That year he made that most famous ace on No. 16? 1997. That’s when Woods won his first Masters and started a run to being the greatest golfer of all time.
Thirty-seven Major Titles in One Place
This is a serious roster of golfers: Woods, Mickelson, Watson, Angel Cabrera, Retief Goosen, Geoff Oglivy and Keegan Bradley, just to name a few.
Scott Bordow of AZCentral.com wrote, "Watson was the runner-up last year to Kevin Stadler, and he has the length to overwhelm the par fives on the course and go low on the vulnerable back nine. The lack of deep rough enables Watson to bomb it off the tee without much regret, giving him short irons to most holes."
Isn’t that always the case of Watson and all big bombers? Their length off the tee, in theory, leaves them short irons into the greens? They still have to hit fairways, and Watson ranks 42nd in that regard, hitting 66.67 percent of his fairways.
Young Guns Blazing?
Jordan Spieth and Rickie Fowler take aim at the Phoenix Open.
Spieth comes off a 2014 year where he most recently won the Hero World Challenge by a pole. He could be sitting on a breakout year after ranking sixth in birdie average and 20th in strokes gained putting in 2014.
Fowler, too, is primed to take his game to new heights. He finished in the top five in all four majors last year. He’s at the point where he is known more for his game than his highlighter-colored wardrobe.
Will one of these two win this tournament? They have as good a chance as any, which is about as committed one can be to picking a winner in these tournaments.
Who Are the Favorites?
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Bubba Watson
As stated in the previous slide, Watson’s ability to bomb with these wide-open fairways makes him a huge threat to win this tournament.
Starting with the season wrap at the end of 2014, Watson played in four events, finishing first in the World Golf Championship HSBC Champions, T11 at the Hero World Challenge and 10th at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions.
His game is sharp, and he will be tough to catch if he gets loose and feels confident with a lead.
Jordan Spieth
Spieth’s dominant win in the Hero World Challenge—a tournament attended by Woods—where Spieth shot four rounds under 70 for a 26-under winning score, puts him in the category of golfers who are ready for a big year.
It may sound as if it’s too early to tell, but how Spieth plays in this tournament—with the kind of field assembled—will go a long way to determining what his 2015 will look like.
Aside from the great European players, the field for this Phoenix Open is WGC in caliber.
Phil Mickelson
Phil Mickelson has a home-court advantage when he comes to Arizona, and the galleries will shower his newly engineered body with love.
Mickelson made his 2015 debut last week at the Humana Challenge and had a good, though not great, first tournament. He told GolfChannel.com's Ryan Lavner:
"We had great weather—that allows you to work on the fundamentals and get the swing basics down without having to fight the elements, without getting into bad habits.
It was a good week to get the year started. Now we’ll see the next two weeks if I can get that fine-tuning done and shoot the low scores I need.
"
Mickelson shot 15 under at La Quinta after shooting 71 on Thursday, so it appears his game is pretty tight and ready to shine.
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Dark Horses to Watch
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Tiger Woods
It used to be that Woods was a favorite in any tournament he entered. Realistically, at least for the near future, he is now a dark horse for any tournament until he proves otherwise.
It’s funny how short people’s memories are when it comes to Woods. In 2013, he won five events. Granted he didn’t win a major, but he was T4 at the Masters and T6 at the Open Championship.
Last year his back was tangled up in mangled-up knots.
Gary Van Sickled said on Golf.com, “I expect Tiger to make the cut but not contend. He could be hitting 16 early Saturday, but no matter how early you get there, some of the fans have already beered up."
Woods surprised many people by entering this tournament, and that should signify he’s ready to put on a good show.
Keegan Bradley
Keegan Bradley’s 2015 debut sort of looks good on paper. He shot four rounds of 70 or better, good for 12 under at the Humana Challenge. Yet that earned him a T48.
In this his second tournament of the new year, Bradley is a sleeper. He finished T4 at the U.S. Open last year and T19 at the Open Championship.
Golf Magazine's Cameron Morfit asked Bradley if losing all these events is mental. "Sort of," Bradley said. "I've played good golf, and I've had chances to win. I feel like I'm close to winning. It's right around the corner. The PGA Tour is so deep that the 150th guy can outplay you and win."
Bradley should win a couple on the tour this year, and Phoenix could play to his strengths.
Rickie Fowler
After finishing 2014 in the top five of all four majors, Fowler needs to make that next jump.
Dating back to last year’s season, Fowler had one finish outside the top 10 starting with his T2 at the U.S. Open—that being a T23 in the Deutsche Bank Championship. It was one of the more impressive runs by any player not named Rory McIlroy.
Scott Bordow of AZCentral.com wrote, “Fowler should thrive off the energy provided by the large crowds, and it wouldn't be a surprise if he was holding aloft the championship trophy on Sunday afternoon.”
Final Word
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The Winner: Bubba Watson
Watson was a runner-up here a year ago, and his game seems perfectly crafted for this course.
This lefty is playing great golf right now as he warms himself up for a run at a third green jacket in just over two months.
Makes the Cut: Tiger Woods
It’s going to be great seeing Woods tee it up after the Hero World Challenge saw him chip about as good as a weekend scratcher.
Can he finish in the top 10? Nobody would put anything past Woods, but you have to figure all those doubts from people the last few years are fueling his deepest desires to reclaim what he’s lost since the 2008 U.S. Open.
Aside from lost time, which he can't get back, he craves respect, and the only way he can do that is by wearing that red polo and holding up prizes.
Showing Promise: Phil Mickelson, Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler
So many golfers on tour have a lot to prove, whether that’s Woods and Mickelson or Spieth and Fowler.
Some are clinging to what they’ve lost, while others are scrambling for a toe hold on the Cliffs of Insanity.
The way this field has set up, letting these guys take you right up to Sunday’s kickoff between the Seahawks and Patriots seems like one heck of a way to spend a Sunday.
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