Yes, the greenest party on grass reached a new level of sheer pandemonium this year.
No more alcohol sales.
No more people at all, in fact.
They closed the gate around 2 p.m. local time, and here’s the thing.
You’re there for the party.
Which, of course is fine.
It’s about the spectacle, the people watching, the getting-fucked-up-with-your-boys-in-the-morning.
The Waste Management is officially on that tier.
Let’s contrast the WMPO with the Derby or the Indy 500.
At those events, fans are confined to certain sports.
They’re not permitted to roam the grounds freely.
They sit in their seats or their bleachers and that’s that.
That’s not a recipe for success.
you’re able to reach out and touch the players.
If you say something, they’re going to hear it.
There’s also an expectation of silence while a shot is being hit at a golf tournament.
It happened a few times this past week.
“Buddy, when he’s over the shot, shut the hell up, alright?”
“He’s hitting a golf shot here.
It’s our fucking job.”
Shooter McGavin vibes aside, it’s hard to argue with Horschel here.
Golf tournaments demand a certain decorum from fans to make it function properly and not impact the competition.
There’s really only one rule: don’t make noise while the guy’s hitting.
That’s all in good fun, and that’s part of what makes the tournament great.
They only snapped when those small minority of fans crossed the proverbial line.
Now, do I think the WM Phoenix Open is in trouble?
Which brings me to my next point.
This isn’t a tournament that relies on big-name players to sell tickets.
It doesn’t matter who’s playing, really.
It’s a cultural event and they want to be a part of it.
To summarize the WM Phoenix Open will continue in all its glory.
Just perhaps with less top players.
Nick Taylor is a certified closer
There really aren’t that many closers in golf.
It’s a very difficult thing to do, summoning your best golf when the lights are brightest.
Tiger Woods, obviously, set the standard for this.
But it’s far more common to see guys shit the bed when they sniff victory.
They’ll pour in birdies all week and then get stuck in neutral come the back nine on Sunday.
That surpassed the time he kicked Phil Mickelson’s ass in a mano-y-mano battle at Pebble Beach in 2020.
He found himself three shots back of 47-year-old Charley Hoffman with just four holes left to play.
Taylor would need to play his final four holes in three under to get into a playoff.
He did exactly that.
He laid up to 81 yards and hit a dart to three feet.
He stepped into the coliseum surrounding No.
16 and hit yet another beauty to just inside six feet.
28 in the world.
And, just like he did in Canada, he slammed that damn putter into the green.
1 Scottie Scheffler, Taylor and world No.
300 Charley Hoffman both beat out Scheffler down the stretch to produce an electric playoff of their own.
What a victory for the 35-year-old Taylor, who also resides in the Scottsdale area.
This week will go a long way toward informing Woods' golfing future.
That’s the thing about his comeback from spinal fusion surgery in 2018-19: it happened in stages.
He came back, looked good physically, had speed.
Then he semi-contended in a normal tour event.
Then he contended in a normal tour event.
Then he contended in a major.
Then he won a normal tour event.
Then he won a major.
Even Tiger needs to find a competitive rhythm.
That’s possible playing once a month.
It’s not playing just the majors, on the hardest courses, against the best players.
On the plus side, Riviera’s an easy walk.
On the negative side, there’s never been a course that’s flummoxed Woods like Riviera has.
This will mark his 15th start at Riviera and he’s yet to win there.
His first full-timer was Fluff Cowan, then Steve Williams, then Joe LaCava.
All those guys had worked for major winners before picking up Woods' bag.
That at least means he’s planning to pay more.
Good news all around.
Johnson said he barely touched a club during LIVs offseason.
Was genuinely surprised at his T5 finish in Mexico.
Just won the Vegas event.
$4.7 million just in individual earnings in first 2 events.
I’ll also henceforth be known as Dan Clappaport.
Not one, buttwosub-60 rounds on the Korn Ferry Tour this week.
Then 20-year-old Aldrich Potgieter fired a 59 of his own.
That swing producing a 57 shows it’s not about how it looks.
That’s…hard to fathom.
Another great week for Justin Thomas, who’s firmly back.
He’s finished T12 or better in each of his last seven starts.
