Comparing a TPC Network golf course to Augusta National might be sacrilegious in some corners, but it’s a time-honored tradition in this newsletter. Each time the WM Phoenix Open rolls around, we’re treated to the virtues of wide playing corridors that reward well-executed shots and impose penalties for errancy, expansive and fast putting surfaces, and firmness that demands properly struck, high-trajectory long irons to hold greens. Much like at Augusta, golfers who find their rhythm can punctuate rounds with flurries of birdies. TPC Scottsdale provides space for aggressive scoring while still punching back when you veer off the road.
You don’t have to look far to find crossover among players who have succeeded at both venues – Scottie Scheffler, Jordan Spieth, and Hideki Matsuyama, to name a few. Considering Tom Weiskopf’s own success at Augusta National, I’ve often wondered how much inspiration was derived from Augusta as he conceived TPC Scottsdale.
It’s a golf course that not only delivers drama, but it also frequently mints elite talent. Both Scheffler and Brooks Koepka earned their maiden PGA Tour wins in Scottsdale, a potentially positive signal for what Chris Gotterup’s future may hold. Weiskopf cooked up an inspired design at TPC Scottsdale, one that belongs comfortably among the ranks of the PGA Tour’s best venues.
A six-pack of notes from a revealing four days of action at a true gem in Arizona:
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1. Chris Gotterup is really, really good. He ranked top 10 in the field in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee, Approach, and Around the Green en route to his playoff win at the Phoenix Open. Though he lost strokes with his putter this week, he’s shown plenty of ability to putt so far in his career. Since last July, Gotterup has won on an open layout in Scotland, a tight and quirky Bermuda grass test during a windy week in Hawaii, and now on a demanding mid-iron desert test. We might be watching the meteoric rise of a legitimate long-term star, with a well-rounded skill set and swagger that travels to all venues.
2. On Hideki Matsuyama’s Sunday front nine, he hit zero fairways, took an unplayable lie, and still managed a bogey-free 2-under 33. He chipped in once and holed three putts outside 20 feet in those nine holes. Matsuyama brought his D-game with the driver to TPC Scottsdale, yet he came within a par of winning the tournament anyway (thanks in part to a handful of fortunate breaks). Clearly, he needs to fix his driver issues to have any hope of contending in major championships, but his magical short game and elite iron play stack up with anybody. You never quite know when Matsuyama’s ceiling performances will show up, but his best golf is very difficult to keep pace with.
3. Si Woo Kim (T-3), who had a chance to win nearly all day on Sunday, notched a fourth straight top-12 finish and third straight top-six finish to kick off the season. There’s no reason to expect the heater to cool off anytime soon.
4. Scottie Scheffler played an uncharacteristically atrocious opening round on Thursday (73) – his first over-par number since the Travelers Championship last June – chunking two chip shots, misjudging spin on multiple approaches, and finding a penalty hazard off the tee. After 18 holes, he sat T-89. By mid-Saturday afternoon, he’d pulled back within four strokes of the lead. Ultimately, Scheffler finished T-3, one shot out of a spot in the playoff. His floor is preposterously high.
5. Twenty-four-year-old Michael Thorbjornsen probably should have won this golf tournament. Co-leading late Sunday, he shipped an adrenaline-fueled 9-iron over the back of the 16th hole, leading to a poor bogey. Then he pulled his tee shot into the water on No. 17 for another bogey. He parred No. 18 to finish one shot shy of the playoff. Thor will lose some sleep over letting a prime opportunity slip from his grasp, but his takeaways should still be overwhelmingly positive. Like Gotterup, Thorbjornsen is rising fast, and a win over the next 24 months feels all but inevitable for one of the sport’s best young talents.
6. For all the attention the dynamic stretch of Nos. 15-17 receives, I’ve always found the par-3 12th to be an excellent and underrated golf hole. Water wraps around the back and right side of the green, with bunkers protecting the left. I’m especially fond of left-half pin locations because left misses then receive an appropriate short-sidedness penalty, and water prevents bailing out on the right.
Aside from a bland 14th hole and a distance-compromised finishing hole, TPC Scottsdale boasts one of the great back nines in professional golf.
