Nick Taylor Wins in a Playoff! – 2024 WM PHOENIX OPEN Day 4 Recap | The First Cut Podcast

Rick Gehman and Kyle Porter recap the 2024 WM Phoenix Open.

0:00 Intro
1:00 Nick Taylor and Charley Hoffman separate themselves late in the final round
7:15 Don’t forget about Round 3 on Sunday morning + Scottie fades down the stretch, Justin Thomas finishes T11
12:00 Best Bets & One and Done

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ABOUT THE SHOW: The First Cut brings you everything you need to know in the world of professional golf. Nearly every day Rick Gehman, Kyle Porter, Mark Immelman, Greg DuCharme, Sia Nejad and Patrick McDonald bring you the best analysis in the game. From DFS to betting previews, interviews and recaps… everything golf is on the table when you listen to The First Cut.

Freaking first cut golly welcome to the first cup podcast I’m Rick gon and this is your recap episode for this week’s Phoenix Open joining me to break it all down Kyle Porter is here KP we are battling Usher right now how do you think we’ll

Do well it’s it’s a big day for Taylor is is all I have to say right um we’re guaranteed that one Taylor is gonna get a gonna get a victory uh that Taylor in Phoenix in Scottdale is Nick and the way that he got there was via a playoff with

Charlie Harmon KP let’s set this up a little bit these two began to separate themselves from the rest of the field in the uh final few holes of the fourth round Nick Taylor makes birdies on 15 and 16 Charlie Hoffman was posting and waiting and Nick Taylor in regulation

Had to make a birdie on 18 to force this thing to a playoff and sure enough he does Rick I’m convinced if they play 18 another 20 times he makes birdie every time I mean is is Nick Taylor a badass what I love about Nick Taylor and

The the amount of evidence is growing the putts that he hits in high pressure situations look like he is just on the practice Green Man I mean they go in with Pace in the heart they are confidence Strokes it it there is no just there is nothing but confidence in

That in that I totally agree and I actually felt that going into the second uh the putty had on this on the second playoff hole so the third time he played 18 I guess it was the fourth time he played 18 on the day but the third

Time in the in the final round so to speak and it just felt like he was gonna make it right I don’t I don’t know it what was it like 20 feet 18 feet something like that it was officially uh not that far 9 feet six inches no the second

Oh I’m sorry in the playoff my bad it was officially 11 feet 5 Ines I think that was the one he walked in the the last the sorry the last one that he had the one that won it was 11 feet yeah oh okay well still I mean that’s not a that’s a

35% putt something like that and it just felt like this is for sure going in that that’s the feeling that you get with him and uh I mean he was imp he was to birdie 3 the last four to get in the playoff and then

Both in the playoff it was um I I I felt bad for Charlie Hoffman I I had forgotten that Taylor shot 60 in the first round went back and was looking at him was like oh yeah he shot 60 because that was kind of the weird uh Thursday

And Friday deal I felt bad for Hoffman because I think it probably meant more to him just at the stage of the of his career that he’s in um he’s playing on a money exemption or a career money exemption he’s 47 to get back into the

Majors would have been a really big deal and uh but Taylor I mean Taylor’s awesome like he’s he’s super impressive I I feel like I’ve really grown in respect for his game and the way he carries himself uh just from even from the Canadian open

Last year and and on into this year yeah he didn’t go away at this event last year he was in the mix almost almost stole this thing when it was a signature event and then here he goes out wins in another playoff this is Nick Taylor’s fourth career PGA Tour Victory first

Since last year’s RBC Canadian open the 72 Putt in the 72 foot Putt in the playoff to beat Tommy Fleetwood the ensuing tackle of Adam hadwin Etc that is the last time and Nick Taylor Nick Taylor definitely the best Canadian in the world right now right yeah con

Connors has dropped off Connors get him out of here Nick Taylor or uh Adam hadman get him out Taylor p no way yeah I mean he who who else besides those four is there Michael gigic how old is Taylor like 33 Nick Taylor is currently 35 35 okay so I mean

He I think the interesting thing about Nick Taylor Rick and we don’t need to spend like two hours on this but he he’s been he won the Sanderson in 2014 he won Pebble he won Canada I mean he he’s had like a kind of a lowkey really good career you know um

Obviously this is uh by field strength I’m sure his biggest win Canada probably means more but this is big time to to beat sheffler JT spe look at the guys that are in the top top 15 there sath and then Hoffman shooting 6464 and he just went out and

Took it from him it was it was it was pretty sweet yeah always tough when you beat the rest of the field by three shots like Charlie Hoff man did and then does not get you know does not get the trophy for it so Hoffman was looking for

His first victory since the 2016 Valero Texas open it would have been his fifth PGA Tour Victory I thought it would have been great KP for the guy we were just talking about you taking the photo in the trash truck get the trash man at the

Trash event with the w all that fun stuff it it would have been a perfect day yeah the tough of grass from two years ago the the Instagram post that he had about live and which which he like recanted four hours later I mean just stand by it Charlie if you’re gonna

Say it stands by it the trash truck was beep it was yeah it was beeping as it backed up but yeah I mean look like it it like I I thought the ending it’s always cool to see those guys with their families because it’s very humanizing to see his I think one

Of his daughters was like kind of crying after he lost and you’re like man that would have been but it was cool for Taylor too I don’t I don’t know I just it felt like Rick and Josh just said this in the chat it felt like for the

Last I I was so sure that Charlie Hoffman was gonna win for the last like two hours you know as soon as he kind of put Sheffer away and or Sheffer a little bit faded and you’re like okay well that was kind of that’s kind of it right and

Taylor just coming around turn four hot and uh and catches him and you kind of felt bad for him because because Taylor’s performance will sort of overshadow what I thought was a really clutch and impressive uh Charlie Hoffman performance as well speaking of coming in hot remember there was a third round

To finish on this Sunday and Scotty Sheffer played holes nine through 13 all five of them in five under this morning added two more birdies at 16 and 17 got himself into the mix and KP it looked like Scotty was going to take this thing he starts his fourth round with four

Birdies in his first five holes he makes the turn in 31 and then the putting troubles pop up he misses a couple of shorties he loses momentum he limps to the Finish Line he finishes T3 I mean different week same story first in approach second off the T first

T to Green 44 in putting I mean it just I I rick every time I looked at ex up today it felt like I was watching him putt from 10 feet every every time I looked at the TV I was like oh Scotty’s got another 10f

Footer he hit I swear every hole that he played I think he hit the closest shot on every single hole like they would just oh my God Scotty stuffed another one stuffed it it looks like he has the most control over his short iron shots of anybody I mean he does right like

Just from statistically but you just watch him hit and it looks weird but he he had one shot out of the bunkers today it was like a fairway not really a fairway bunker because it was probably 120 I guess it’s a fairway bunker that would also count as a fairway bunker it

It was closer than like when I hear Fairway bunker I’m thinking Three Wood it it was like a pitching wedge or nine iron and he just it’s like on a string I mean he just can he can control like I I feel like when his when his Club face

Hits the ball he’s hitting it exactly where he wants to on the club face every single time it’s extraordinary and he’s now finished in the top 12 of PJ tour events I guess worldwide events because he rose in there 25 of the last 29 starts that he’s had top

12 he’s sick he’s truly sick also um you know he’s been deal working with a new putter working kind of with a little bit of a new stroke round one gain Strokes to the field with the putter round two he gains round three he gains round four

Up nearly two strokes so maybe that that I mean it makes sense that stroke when things get under pressure like that that’s where you’re going to find flaws in your game yeah it felt like uh what did hin win last year late was it BMW yeah he went BMW then he went T

Championship so it felt it felt like when havin shot 30 on the back at BMW or whatever it was and Sheffer just missed so many putts he he was kind of in control there that’s what that’s what today kind of felt like down the stretch

Uh we’ll get one more guy and it’s your choice Sam Burns Jordan spe Justin Thomas where do you want to go uh I let’s go JT because both you and I were pretty pretty high on him this week Justin Thomas closes his weekend with a 7068 round three round four uh kind of

Treads water for most of his fourth rounds he goes out in one under but immediately gets the even par after Bing hole number 11 he does make three late birdies but by that point it is uh much too little much too late his weekend rounds were not nearly as good as the

Rest of the week yeah I guess my my question I’m getting the call okay I’m just gonna I’m gonna go you go ahead I’m gonna finish this up on my own we’ll see you Rick see I guess my question for Rick uh which is a question for me now is was

This an encouraging week for for JT because it started off so well I I just off the top of my head I think it was 6865 to start and you’re like man he’s in he’s in position to um to win to to go out and win this right and uh he did

Fade over the weekend but I I think I’m still encouraged the numbers are there he was six from TAA green on the week uh I I felt like he lost a little juice on his approach play uh over the weekend I don’t know if we have those numbers

Producer Josh but he didn’t hit the ball as well in terms of giving himself scoring opportunities on uh Saturday and Sunday um but I I I just think it’s been so consistent over the last several tournaments that I’m super encouraged going into Florida the Florida swing I guess we got

Riv and then Florida swing and then and then the majors I think he’s really positioned well um to to make some noise over the next couple months so uh yeah producer Josh J he lost Strokes in uh in approach play in in the final round so

Yeah that’s all we got on on players I don’t know are we are we throwing up Best Bets here producer Josh I I need some I need some guidance here guess I could read the Run run down yeah here let’s let’s go Best Bets

Okay so uh we did we did okay here uh JT Poston missed the cut for me he was my top 20 I felt good I felt good about that going in uh did not work out but we hit our other two finishing positions Tom hogi top 20 SEIU top 20

Uh Patrick’s matchup which was not a matchup at all was Travis Kelce first TD of the game I think the Niners SC that I’ve kind of been in and out with the with the football game or shuffler wins which did almost hit I had cam young

Over Adam had one cam young was kind of in the mix to win H and then Rick had a million Ogo over Ricky Fowler uh Fowler’s been kind of lowkey not very good over the last several months so something to keep an eye on there outrights uh closest was probably both

Of mine I guess with JT and Sam Burns Adam Scott was up there Kitty Yama was kind of in it uh Sam Burns finished T3 at 20 to1 that would have been uh that would have been a good one but did not hit any outrights for Rick me or

Patrick uh I think we have Best Bets as well uh I was incredibly frustrated about mine uh first of all Rick had Jake knap top 30 plus 275 that’s sweet uh it looks like he didn’t get credit for it in the in the betting performance there though but I actually changed mine late

It it also didn’t hit uh we have listed here JT top 10 that didn’t hit but I changed it to JT and Sheffer top 10 uh which was plus 300 Sheffer obviously nearly wins the tournament he finishes T3 and then JT finishes one stroke out of the top 10 he finished

T12 uh late there so that was frustrating and then Patrick had sewo Adam hadwin and Adam Scott to make the cut SE and Adam Scott played very well Adam hadwin missed the cut which was great great for me because I had cam young over Adam hadwin uh not great for

Patrick’s positivity parway because uh Adam hadwin did not make the cut so that’s our best bet we’ll have the the the net uh updated for Tuesday show which we’ll be back uh big big tournament if you haven’t heard next week at Rivier let’s look at uh one and

Done at to close this out uh producer Josh big time Sam Burns I don’t know how much he earned but that puts him up he probably earned 400 or something like that that puts him up to 510k that puts producer Josh up to 1.3 I had JT I

Didn’t get as much out of that as I would have liked uh and then we had a couple others here Kurt kyama that was actually a pretty good pick from Craig because he finished uh inside the top 10 Rick had Sam Burns another good pick all

Of these kind of hit Patrick had Adam Scott that was a good pick uh and then Mark also had JT JT actually turned out to be probably the worst value considering um how big of an you know like how good he is he’s you know ostensibly a top eight guy and he only

Got 184k out of it so not bad but uh I was hoping for more especially after the 68 uh 65 start Adam Scott got 246k so the worst I guess was was JT which is pretty incredible considering how bad we were for uh for Pebble so uh not not bad

There for the one andone um one person out of I think we have 950 in our uh our first cut one andone pool had Nick Taylor so congrats to whoever that was apparently you paid attention to last year’s Phoenix Open um that’s it for uh for Phoenix Open week it was uh

It was it’s been a we didn’t Rick and I didn’t really talk about this but it’s been a really weird year in that Nick Taylor was the second shortest odds so far this year uh to win a tournament uh of guys that have won and he was 120 to1

Windam Clark was the shortest at 90 to one last week I mean it’s been the year of the sort of the long shot on the PGA tour so that continued this week awesome finish though it got sort of drowned out by uh Chiefs ners uh Scotty fading but

Uh it still didn’t it didn’t take away from the golf it was a really really good uh ending and uh we’re on to Riviera should be an awesome week tiger another signature event into the West Coast Swing Riv always rocks and uh we are we’re looking forward to covering

That so we’ll be back Monday with the show Tuesday with a show and then on into the U the post round Recaps next week thank you guys for tuning in I’m Kyle Porter Rick had to depart for CBS Sports HQ but you can follow him on Twitter rickrungood I’m Kyle Porter CBS

Thanks to Josh producer Josh uh running the ones and twos he always does a great job a thankless job but uh a great job the West so we will catch you guys next week for Riviera