Tag: 2022 WM Phoenix Open

Sahith Theegala rested, ready for Arnold Palmer Invitational: ‘Probably one of the purest courses I’ve ever played’

After taking time off, Sahith Theegala arrives at Bay Hill “really excited for the week.”

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ORLANDO — Three weeks ago at the colossal party otherwise known as the WM Phoenix Open, Scottie Scheffler won the championship hardware in a playoff against Patrick Cantlay for his first PGA Tour title.

On the same day, rookie Sahith Theegala won the hearts and minds of golf fans. The 24-year-old had slept on the lead for three consecutive nights in the star-studded tournament and wasn’t wilting in the Arizona heat on the final day.

Looking for his first PGA Tour title, the product of Pepperdine took to the tee of the drivable 17th hole and hit a perfect tee shot. Until it wasn’t, the ball taking a wicked bounce to the left into the water by the green.

ARNOLD PALMER: Tee times | How to watch | PGA Tour Live on ESPN+

The resulting bogey led to a tie for third—his best result on the PGA Tour— and a thunderous serenade from the fans on the 18th green.

“THEE-GA-LA, THEE-GA-LA, THEE-GA-LA.”

While his Cinderella story fell short and a few tears were shared with his parents and 15 other family members on hand, the down-to-earth Theegala left TPC Scottsdale with his chest out and head held high.

“That was a really cool experience,” Theegala said Tuesday ahead of Thursday’s start of the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill Lodge and Club. “The fact that so many people were cheering for me is cool. But also the fact that I put myself in a really good spot to win the event, it obviously gave me a lot of confidence.”

He certainly didn’t pout despite the tough break on 17 and winding up one shot short of a playoff. Theegala has dealt with tough times before. A wrist injury in college forced him to miss 10 months of tournament play. When he turned pro, COVID-19 got in the way.

“Being injured, especially an injury like that that I’ve never dealt with in my life, not being able to play tournament golf for 10 months, it gave me a different perspective,” he said. “I just found out that life’s not golf and golf’s not life, that I had a lot of great people behind me no matter what I do in life.

“That was definitely a perspective change for me, and sure enough, after I came back from the injury along with a few swing changes to help my body out a little bit, it was the best golf I ever played.

“I think a lot of that was mindset related for sure.”

His mindset is still in a good place. In 12 starts this season, he has two top-10s and two missed cuts. After coming so close in Phoenix, he drove 5½ hours to Los Angeles to play in the Genesis Invitational the following week, where he tied for 48th. Nothing out of the ordinary for Theegala, who still lives with his parents in Orange Country in California. He put 2,700 miles on his 2015 Passat driving to every west coast tournament. He even joked that he was going to drive from the west coast to Orlando.

Instead, he took a smooth flight to Orlando and is driving a GMC Denali this week.

“It’s so sick,” he said, in a good way.

That’s one reason the approachable guy with an easy smile is in a good mood. He’s ecstatic to play in a tournament with so much history, its name featuring Arnold Palmer. And the course put a smile on his face immediately.

“Gosh, I’m just obviously really happy to be here. Definitely a special vibe coming to this golf course and all the history and stuff behind it,” he said. “Probably one of the purest courses I’ve ever played in my life too, so that helps.

“Really excited for the week. The week off definitely made me hungry to get here.”

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How Scottie Scheffler convinced Ted Scott to caddie for him and why it paid quick dividends in Phoenix

Ted Scott was done caddying after his partnership with Bubba Watson ended, but that changed with a phone call from Scottie Scheffler.

PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. – When Scottie Scheffler heard that Bubba Watson and caddie Ted Scott had parted ways in the fall, Scheffler figured it was worth a call to see what Scott, who had been on the bag for Watson’s two Masters victories and double-digit wins, planned to do next. After all, it’s not every day that a veteran caddie with Scott’s resume becomes available.

Scheffler, 25, and Scott had met in bible study a year earlier and Scheffler got to know him best during the Zurich Classic of New Orleans in late April when Scheffler partnered with Watson in the two-man team event.

“I already thought the world of him as a person,” Scheffler said.

Scott said he thought he was done with caddying, but that changed when his phone rang.

“He called me up and said, ‘I really want to work with a Christian.’ That’s how I try to live my life,” Scott said on Sunday. “The other thing he said was, ‘I really like competing.’ I said, ‘I like competing.’ Thought it could be a fun thing. We hashed out the details.”

Scottie Scheffler of the United States talks with his caddie Ted Scott on the 1st hole during the first round of The RSM Classic on the Seaside Course at Sea Island Resort on November 18, 2021 in St Simons Island, Georgia. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)

They did a trial run at the RSM Classic in November. Scheffler shot 63 in the first round. Scheffler finished second at the Hero World Challenge in December. In just their fifth tournament together, Scott paid his biggest dividend last week at the WM Phoenix Open as Scheffler rallied on the back-nine and outlasted Patrick Cantlay to claim his first PGA Tour title.

That Scheffler, who at No. 9 moved into the top 10 in the Official World Golf Ranking for the first time this week, hadn’t won already was mystifying.

“I do think I was making it a little bit hard,” Scheffler conceded on Tuesday during his pre-tournament press conference ahead of the Genesis Invitational. “I think at certain points in some of those final rounds I’d make a few mistakes and maybe get down a little bit. I wouldn’t say I felt out of it last week, but I just kept telling myself there’s going to be bumps in the road and I gave myself on Sunday way too many bumps.”

Scott’s calming influence came in handy earlier in the week as Scheffler struggled to a 68-71 start that had him hovering around the cutline.

“I kept telling Teddy on Thursday and Friday I was scoring really poorly but I was playing fantastic golf, my swing felt great, short game felt good, putting felt good, everything felt really good and I was only 3 under,” he said. “I was really fighting the cut line on Friday afternoon. I had to make like a six- or seven-footer on 7 for par to stay at 2 under, which was the cut line. Then I ended up making like a 40-footer for birdie on 8 to get to 3 under, and got up and down on 9 because I thought the cut line was going to be at 3 under.”

Scott could tell that Scheffler didn’t require a big pep talk.

“There were a couple decent moments early in the week where he kept me loose,” Scheffler said of Scott. “He makes me laugh at moments when I definitely don’t want to.”

Feb 13, 2022; Scottsdale, Arizona, USA; Scottie Scheffler plays from the green side bunker on the third as caddy J.Tedd Scott looks on during the final round of the WM Phoenix Open golf tournament. (Allan Henry-USA TODAY Sports)

On Sunday, Scheffler didn’t let the bumps in the road slow him down.

“I always viewed it as I had to play kind of this perfect version of golf,” said Scheffler, who made four bogeys on Sunday, including three in a four-hole stretch on the front nine at TPC Scottsdale. “If you would have told me a year ago that I would be making those kind of mistakes and been able to still win the golf tournament, I would have been pretty surprised, but I guess I proved a little bit to myself that it doesn’t take perfect golf and it’s more about coming back from the mistakes than it is just kind of cruising the entire time.

“I think I made like four bogeys and they were all kind of bogeys where maybe I was trying to force a little something. Like I tried to force something on 8 after making a bogey on 7. I tried to force it close to the flag on 5 when I wasn’t comfortable with the yardage. Then on 12 I really tried to make a good swing, but once again I short-sided myself. I didn’t really let those bogeys bother me as much as I would have in the past,” Scheffler said.

On 14, Scheffler’s drive kicked into a funky lie, but he slashed it to 8 feet and made the birdie putt. “I can’t believe we still have a chance to win this golf tournament,” he said to Scott.

What impressed Scott most was the way Scheffler didn’t back down. On 15, Scheffler hit a low 5-iron into the green at the par 5 and Scott, said of it, “The way he’s attacking, I was like he’s ready to win this thing.”

After a celebratory dinner on Sunday with his wife, Meredith, and her brother and his fiancée and watching the end of the Super Bowl, Scheffler is ready to get back to work at a place where he won an exemption into the tournament in 2018 while competing for Texas in the Genesis Invitational Collegiate Showcase. The real victory party will wait until he gets home to Dallas.

“Meredith always, she asks me what I wanted to do after my first win and we’ve got a little something planned for at home,” Scheffler said. “There’s a really good meat market in town that I like and I’m going to go get a bunch of steaks and grill them for our friends and family and then just have a good time at our new house.”

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Shirtless at 16: The behind-the-scenes story to Harry Higgs and Joel Dahmen’s viral moment at Phoenix Open’s 16th hole

In order to get Higgs to take his short off, players pooled $8,000 to pay any potential fine as a result.

LONG BEACH, Calif. – Harry Higgs wants to make one thing perfectly clear: he’s never, ever taking his shirt off at another PGA Tour event.

“It was maybe the craziest weekend in golf ever and to be a small part of it for something ridiculous is funny,” said Higgs. “But I’m never doing it again. It was a one-time deal.”

On Sunday at the 16th hole at TPC Scottsdale, Higgs pulled his shirt up and Dahmen followed suit by taking his off and waving it around above his head. It led to a roar from the crowd as loud as for the aces by Sam Ryder on Saturday and Carlos Ortiz on Sunday. Here’s the inside story on how Higgs and Dahmen ended up showing a little too much skin.

On Saturday, Higgs was paired with his friend Keith Mitchell. They share the same trainer and after Higgs warmed up and headed to the putting green, Mitchell and some other players dared Higgs to take off his shirt at 16. As an incentive, they pooled $8,000 to pay any potential fine and told him, “You need to do it.”

“I was like, ‘dude, I’m not doing that. I don’t want to be remembered for that,’” Higgs said.

He held firm and that likely would’ve been the end of it except for the fact that he played so poorly that day that he was nearly pulling up the rear and drew a twosome pairing with Dahmen going off the back nine first.

“Saturday night before I even had a cocktail the pairings come out,” Dahmen recounted. “If you’re in last place who do you want to play with? A friend.”

Dahmen put out a tweet that stirred the pot.

“I worded it perfectly,” Dahmen said proudly. “I didn’t put a number on it. I said if we got enough retweets Harry would take off his shirt. (In a private text, Higgs said it would take a million.)

“My phone started blowing up. Joel had tweeted, but I was adamant, no, no, no. It’s too much. We got around to 16 and everyone is cheering for it,” said Higgs, who hit his tee shot long and putted from off the green 10 feet past the hole. “I still had no intention of doing it. Had I missed the 10 footer for par I wouldn’t have done it. I would’ve just walked off the hole.”

As Higgs lined up for his par save, Dahmen recalls thinking, “If he makes it, he might do it. He poured it right in the middle and he did it. The place went nuts and the beers started pouring down. I was like, I can’t leave my boy hanging. I took off my glasses, my hat, take off my shirt and let’s go. And it was awesome.

“I will never leave a friend hanging. If I ask someone to do something, I’m probably going to do it myself. I didn’t really think about it. It was spur of the moment. I’ve never had that many people yelling for something. When you’re in the moment and you have 20,000 people chanting your name, what are you going to do? You’re going to take it off. Peer pressure is a very powerful thing. I’m not afraid to give into it either.”

“I kind of regret it,” Higgs said. “It was fun in the moment, but it’s a little too much.”

It’s a moment that may have consequences. Both Higgs and Dahmen said they had received phone calls on Monday from the PGA Tour and could be fined for conduct unbecoming.

“If you get a call from Andy Levinson, you’re in trouble,” said Dahmen, making it sound like he had been called to the principal’s office.

Dahmen, for one, is confused how the Tour can promote the video on its social media channels but also punish him for it.

“Where is the line and what is the line because we’ve completely crossed the line on that entire golf course. We’ve crossed golf boundaries. People want us to button our shirts and put belts on and wear pants and be these perfect robots but then you want us to party for one week and be one with the people,” he said.

Higgs at least can count on Mitchell and his crew to cover his fine, right?

“Maybe,” Higgs said. “Some of these guys are the cheapest millionaires out there.”

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How much money each PGA Tour player earned at the 2022 WM Phoenix Open

It pays to play well on the PGA Tour. Just ask Scottie Scheffler.

It pays to play well on the PGA Tour, folks. Just ask this week’s winner, Scottie Scheffler.

The 25-year-old Texan earned his first PGA Tour win on Sunday at the 2022 WM Phoenix Open in dramatic fashion after a three-hole playoff with Ryder Cup teammate and six-time winner Patrick Cantlay. Playing the 18th hole at TPC Scottsdale for a fourth time that day, Scheffler buried a birdie putt to get up-and-down from a fairway bunker to take home the top prize of $1,476,000. Cantlay earned $893,800.

Check out how much money each PGA Tour player earned this week at the 2022 WM Phoenix Open.

Phoenix Open: Leaderboard | Craziest fans | Winner’s bag

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Prize money

Position Player Score Earnings
1* Scottie Scheffler -16 $1,476,000
1 Patrick Cantlay -16 $893,800
T3 Xander Schauffele -15 $434,600
T3 Brooks Koepka -15 $434,600
T3 Sahith Theegala -15 $434,600
T6 Billy Horschel -14 $287,000
T6 Alex Noren -14 $287,000
T8 Justin Thomas -13 $248,050
T8 Hideki Matsuyama -13 $248,050
T10 Jon Rahm -12 $198,850
T10 Matt Fitzpatrick -12 $198,850
T10 Patton Kizzire -12 $198,850
T10 Keith Mitchell -12 $198,850
T14 Brian Harman -11 $133,250
T14 Martin Laird -11 $133,250
T14 Chris Kirk -11 $133,250
T14 Bubba Watson -11 $133,250
T14 Louis Oosthuizen -11 $133,250
T14 Tom Hoge -11 $133,250
T14 Max Homa -11 $133,250
T21 Scott Stallings -10 $96,350
T21 Garrick Higgo -10 $96,350
T23 Sam Ryder -9 $79,130
T23 Sebastián Muñoz -9 $79,130
T23 J.T. Poston -9 $79,130
T26 Si Woo Kim -8 $58,630
T26 Cameron Young -8 $58,630
T26 Keegan Bradley -8 $58,630
T26 Brendon Todd -8 $58,630
T26 Sung Kang -8 $58,630
T26 Adam Hadwin -8 $58,630
T26 Talor Gooch -8 $58,630
T33 Russell Knox -7 $45,715
T33 Russell Henley -7 $45,715
T33 Carlos Ortiz -7 $45,715
T33 Rory Sabbatini -7 $45,715
37 Lucas Glover -6 $40,590
T38 Troy Merritt -5 $35,670
T38 Corey Conners -5 $35,670
T38 Adam Scott -5 $35,670
T38 K.H. Lee -5 $35,670
T38 Kevin Kisner -5 $35,670
T43 Stewart Cink -4 $26,705
T43 Zach Johnson -4 $26,705
T43 Kevin Chappell -4 $26,705
T43 Martin Trainer -4 $26,705
T43 Abraham Ancer -4 $26,705
T43 Francesco Molinari -4 $26,705
T49 Ryan Moore -3 $20,869
T49 Branden Grace -3 $20,869
T49 Doug Ghim -3 $20,869
T49 Harry Higgs -3 $20,869
T53 Kramer Hickok -2 $19,303
T53 Joseph Bramlett -2 $19,303
T53 Luke List -2 $19,303
T53 Brice Garnett -2 $19,303
T53 Kevin Tway -2 $19,303
T58 Brian Stuard -1 $18,696
T58 Matt Jones -1 $18,696
T60 Jordan Spieth E $18,368
T60 Hudson Swafford E $18,368
T62 Stephan Jaeger +1 $18,040
T62 Joel Dahmen +1 $18,040
64 Austin Eckroat +2 $17,794
65 Peter Malnati +3 $17,630
66 Sepp Straka +7 $17,466
67 Charley Hoffman +9 $17,302

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Scottie Scheffler defeats Patrick Cantlay in three-hole playoff to win WM Phoenix Open

There’s never a dull moment at the Phoenix Open, and Sunday was no different.

The WM Phoenix Open earned the nicknames of “The People’s Open” and “The Greatest Show on Grass” for a reason, and this year’s event was no different.

A total of 10 players were within three shots of the lead late during Sunday’s final-round action at TPC Scottsdale, but in the end it was Scottie Scheffler who came out on top.

For the 25-year-old Texan it was a matter of when, not if, with regard to his first win on Tour, and it came in dramatic fashion via a three-hole playoff with Ryder Cup teammate Patrick Cantlay. Playing the 18th hole for a fourth time today, Scheffler buried a birdie putt to get up-and-down from a fairway bunker for the win.

Phoenix Open: Leaderboard | Craziest fans

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Watch: Harry Higgs and Joel Dahmen party with the fans, take off shirts on 16th green at WM Phoenix Open

Only at the Phoenix Open.

Joel Dahmen was excited to learn his playing partner for the final round of the 2022 WM Phoenix Open was none other than fellow fan-favorite Harry Higgs.

The winner of last year’s Corales Puntacana Resort and Club Championship took to Twitter to rally the fans, going as far as saying,:

“Dreams do come true! If we get enough retweets @harryhiggs1991 will take his shirt off on 16 tomorrow!”

Dahmen and Higgs are men of their words. Early on Sunday afternoon, Higgs rolled in a par putt from 10 feet to get up-and-down after missing the green on the famous par-3 16th hole at TPC Scottsdale and before the ball found the bottom of the cup Higgs’ shirt was off. And then Dahmen joined in on the fun.

Only at the Phoenix Open.

Higgs, 30, finished T-4 at last year’s PGA Championship in his major championship debut and has been a viral star ever since, with features

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The already notorious 16th hole at WM Phoenix Open was rocking on Saturday

Sam Ryder walked into the buzzing 16th hole knowing what to expect.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Sam Ryder walked into the buzzing 16th hole knowing what to expect. Boos for even a halfway decent shot, cheers for anything close to the pin, random people screaming his name fueled by liquid courage.

Little did he know that he would become another tale in the legend of the notorious WM Open stadium hole, even as his tee shot Saturday went skyward on its way to history.

The ball landed to the right of the hole. It rolled backward and dropped in for the 10th ace in the history of the WM Open at TPC Scottsdale.

Ryder leaped for joy. A Thunderbird tossed his “Quiet” sign in the air. And plastic beer and water bottles came flying from the seats, fans doused with liquid and litter all over the tee box and green.

Leaderboard | PGA Tour Live streaming on ESPN+ | Tee times, TV info

It was a scene reminiscent of the last ace at the notorious 16th — by Francesco Molinari on a similar shot in 2015. And the projectiles came flying that day as well.

If there was any doubt that the party wouldn’t be back to the level it had been pre-pandemic, and after the subdued scene at No. 16 in 2021 when attendance at the WM Open was limited and a deejay brought in to provide some kind of ambience, Ryder’s hole-in-one left no doubt. Already in the mood to be rambunctious and let their voices be heard, Ryder’s shot gave reason for the thousands to go berserk.

“There’s nothing really compares to the energy that’s in here, you know, it’s like you’ve just got to embrace it and, you know, they either love you or they hate you,” Ryder said.

A bottle came close to hitting both Ryder and Brian Harman, one of the other players in Ryder’s group.

Ryder was the second one to tee off in his group, so Harman had to wait about 15 minutes to tee off while cleanup crews of volunteers and Thunderbirds scurried about picking up debris.

WM Phoenix Open 2022
Fans fill the stadium surrounding the par-3 16th hole during the third round of the 2022 WM Phoenix Open. (Photo: Allan Henry-USA TODAY Sports)

The fans began chanting “Volunteers! Volunteers!” in appreciation of the cleanup, even as more bottles were thrown.

“It was a pretty wild scene. I was just trying to dodge the beer cans,” Harman said. He heard boos for his tee shot when play finally resumes.

“I don’t mind them (fans) throwing them, but I had a couple almost hit me in the face. We didn’t really have anywhere to go. We were just kind of isolated out there,” Harman said. “The rules official asked me if I wanted to hit with all the beer cans out there. I declined and asked them to go clean it up.”

Ryder said he was thankful no one got hurt, apparently.

“It reminded me of a hockey game, where someone has a hat trick and they start throwing stuff on the ice,” Ryder said. “They’ve been waiting to do something like that. I’m glad it just ended up being a positive thing.”

Liquid dripped from the tunnel that serves as the pathway out of the 16th hole to the 17th. Fans sang the bassline to a song often heard at sporting events, “Seven Nation Army” by The White Stripes.

“Ryder! Ryder!” the crowd screamed as he headed to 17, and there were more shouts of encouragement before he teed off at that hole. His first shot landed in the rough and into the crowd to the right of the fairway.

“That grass is thicker than your hair!” a fan called out to Ryder.

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While the ace was the moment of the day at 16, the entire course was in a festive mood. Groups of fans wore Minnesota Vikings jerseys or were draped in Canadian flags. Some dressed up for the occasion; others were in costume and one group of fans at the 18th hole tried to start The Wave.

Carlos Ortiz, who ended the day tied for 49th place, hit a tee shot near the 16th flag, and raised his arms in celebration to the roar of the crowd.

“I don’t think there’s any tournament that has this many people,” said Brooks Koepka, the defending WM Open champion who is in second place going into Sunday’s final round. “I’m pretty sure every year that they keep breaking records for the most people. But… today (Saturday) was wild.”

The leader through three rounds, Sahith Theegala, said there was a lot going on for him out on the course. That included the crowd, which he said was a good thing.

He hit the ball in the desert roughage five times, got his ball stepped on twice and picked up twice, and through it all dealt with a constant murmur in his head all afternoon from the din.

At one point, Theegala raised his driver in the air as unit of yard measurement, which some fans watching at the 11th hole took as a signal he was acknowledging them and began to cheer.

“That was fun, though,” he said. ‘Those were really loud cheers and I was standing right next to all of them. And then somehow my shot missed all the people.”

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Charley Hoffman doubles down on critical Instagram post, says PGA Tour ‘under a threat’

Charley Hoffman emphasized that he has no interest in playing on any other tour.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Charley Hoffman is mad as hell at the USGA and he’s not going to take it anymore.

After being involved in a rules infraction on Friday, Hoffman blasted golf’s governing body for “a bogus rule” and he doubled down on his Instagram post, speaking after his third round at the WM Phoenix Open.

“Not a huge fan of the USGA and how they govern us all the time,” Hoffman said. “I’m making a stance for the USGA to change this.”

Hoffman, a four-time PGA Tour winner, received a penalty on the par-5 13th hole at TPC Scottsdale during the second round after his tee shot found the water. But after dropping twice, he place the ball on a tuft of grass and when he turned around, the ball rolled back into the water and he was assessed another penalty stroke.

Hoffman was under the impression that the USGA had changed that rule, eliminating the penalty since there was no intent in causing the ball to move. In 2019, WM Phoenix Open winner Rickie Fowler suffered a similar fate at the 11th hole in the final round and overcame a triple bogey to hoist the title.

Leaderboard | PGA Tour Live streaming on ESPN+ | Tee times, TV info

“I have to put it down where the ball landed. I have no control over that, I turn my back and the ball goes in the water. How is that a rule that is good for the game of golf and how we play?” Hoffman said. “I mean, not one person at a country club would have took another penalty for that, why is it, in professional golf, are we doing that?”

He added: “And I think the partnership between the USGA and the PGA Tour’s gotten much better through the last handful of years, but there’s no way that that’s good for the game of golf when balls move like that and can affect the outcome of golf tournaments.

“It didn’t make any sense at that point in time why that rule hadn’t changed, especially this exact tournament when it happened to Rickie Fowler, he ended up winning the golf tournament, but it could have cost him the golf tournament.

“But as I told the rules officials last night it’s like, everybody says, ‘We’re going to change it for the better, we’re going to do this and that, we’re close,’ or whatever but nothing seems to get done.

“And unless you come out on a platform like I did, it somewhat influences a change.”

Hoffman made clear that his leap implying that such rules infraction was a reason why “guys are wanting to jump ship for another tour,” as he wrote was intentional.

“So I put a jab in there on purpose just so that the media would catch it,” he explained.

Hoffman emphasized that he has no interest in playing on any other tour.

“If it came across in that Instagram post that I have been reached by them, I have not been reached by them, it came across wrong,” he said. “I added that so the media would catch it, so I would prove my point on the rules side.”

As a member of the PGA Tour’s policy board, he knew the chain of command to discuss his concerns but he implied that he was taking one for the team.

“I think it works really good,” he said of the Tour’s policy board structure, “but we have, we have a threat. I mean, that’s real. I mean, you can’t hide under a rock and say it’s not. … could I have done it behind closed doors? Probably. But sometimes that doesn’t always work.”

Hoffman’s frustration stemmed, in part, because he’s convinced that the penalty will come back to haunt him.

“I mean, one shot is, no matter what happens, is going to affect me point-wise, something, somewhere down the line. I don’t know what it’s going to be,” he said. “It’s going to affect me on a bogus rule that hopefully changes for the better in the long run and hopefully we learn from it.”

Hoffman shot 8-over 79 on Saturday to drop to last place among the 67 players to make the cut. He hit his opening tee shot out of bounds at No. 10 and had to take a penalty and also hit his tee shot into the water for another penalty at No. 11.

“I won’t have any tour to play on if I keep playing the way I did today,” Hoffman cracked. “Was I thinking about what I said? Of course, I was. I mean, could it have affected me? Maybe.”

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Brooks Koepka leans into ‘cupcake’ nickname at WM Phoenix Open with new merch drop

All merch purchases made on Koepka’s website benefit his foundation.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Brooks Koepka is leaning into the “cupcake” nickname.

In fact, he debuted a cupcake rope hat this week at the WM Phoenix Open that fiancée Jena Sims has been sporting in his gallery (nice touch with the blue frosting, but where are the sprinkles?).

It’s a reference back to the 2015 tournament here, where the first tee announcer on Sunday called him “Bruce Cupcake.” Koepka went on to shoot 66 and win his first tournament on the PGA Tour.

“We were laughing about that when I walked off the tee,” Koepka said in 2015 at his winner’s press conference. “I was laughing while I was taking practice swings. I don’t even know. Most people don’t know how to say it. I’m not surprised. He’s not the first one. He won’t be the last.”

Now, after winning four majors and reaching World No. 1 for a stretch, the golf world certainly knows his name, but Koepka has been proven to be correct on his prediction. Just two weeks ago at the Farmers Insurance Open, first tee announcer Tony Perez, the father of Tour pro Pat Perez, announced Koepka as Bruce.

Brooks Koepka debuted a cupcake hat this week at the WM Phoenix Open. (Courtesy Brook Koepka Foundation)

Koepka said he would be giving away the Cupcake hats to fans at TPC Scottsdale’s 16th hole on Saturday, just as he did during the second round.

“All my merch from my foundation and all that stuff, so hats and jerseys,” he said. “First time I’ve ever done it, man.”

For those Koepka fans that don’t catch a freebie at 16 or are not in attendance, the lightweight-cotton, twill-fabric hat with five-panel ‘retro fit’ and plastic snap closure is available on his website for $40. All proceeds benefit his charitable foundation dedicated to brightening the futures of children facing challenges.

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Best job at the WM Phoenix Open? It might be the guy driving the remote control boat

Milo Bonnin might have the best job at TPC Scottsdale during the tournament.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Milo Bonnin might have the best job at TPC Scottsdale this week.

OK, the guys winning six or seven figures in prize money have the best jobs. But Bonnin certainly has fun.

His job title?

“I guess I’d be ‘gopher boat handler’ or ‘gopher boat pilot,’ maybe?” Bonnin said from a golf cart near the clubhouse Friday morning.

For those at the tournament and near the lake behind the 17th green (and down the left side of 18), look for a remote control boat with a gopher in it. There’s also a good chance you’ll see close-ups of it during the Golf Channel or CBS Sports live TV coverage.

“He drives the boat. I’m just kinda managing it,” quipped Bonnin.

The Green Gopher’s main gig is to chase off the birds that may want to gather on the giant floating WM logo in the lake.

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“He used to have a water gun on a different boat but we decided not to do that anymore, so now he’s just got the cool Chris-Craft [boat], making it look stylish out there,” Bonnin said.

The gopher also has a daily wardrobe change.

“We change his outfit. He’s dressed up different every day. Today [Friday] he’s dressed up as a Thunderbird. Yesterday, he was a caddie. Tomorrow, [Saturday] he’ll be all dressed in Waste Management gear, WM gear, so he’s got a green hat and helmet and making sure he’s part of the crew,” Bonnin said.

“We go out in the morning and make sure there’s no birds sitting on the WM sign out there in the lake. We’ll scare some birds, but other than that, it’s just making everybody happy I think.”

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