Tag: 2022 WM Phoenix Open

Charley Hoffman blasts the USGA and PGA Tour in scorched-earth level Instagram post: ‘You wonder why guys are wanting to jump ship and go play on another tour’

Charley Hoffman didn’t like a ruling during the second round of the WM Phoenix Open and let the powers-that-be know about it in an Instagram post.

Charley Hoffman may want to turn off his phone the next time a ruling doesn’t go his way.

Hoffmann, a four-time PGA Tour winner, took to Instagram on Friday and went scorched earth mode on the PGA Tour and USGA over a penalty on the par-5 13thhole at TPC Scottsdale during the second round.

It all went wrong for Hoffman after his tee shot headed right and found the water. Hoffman had no complaint about that penalty stroke. But after he took a penalty drop, his ball rolled back into the water. He was assessed a second penalty stroke that led to a score of 7 on the hole en route to shooting 1-over 72 for the day. Hoffman blamed the PGA Tour for the location of the penalty area line and charged that the USGA, an amateur association that governs the Rules of Golf in North America and Mexico, shouldn’t write the rules at the professional level.

In a leap of logic perhaps deserving of another two-stroke penalty, Hoffman implied that it is situations such as his drop that is why players are interested in leaving the Tour for the proposed Saudi-backed Super Golf League (as if that has nothing to do with the boatloads of money reportedly being offered). Take a moment to appreciate how ticked off Hoffman must have been to hit send on this post. With no further adieu, here’s Hoffman’s Instagram post:

“What a joke,” Hoffman said on the social media site. “Dropped twice then place on a small tuff of grass. Turned around the ball started rolling into the water. I was under the impression that the USGA had changed that rule. I was wrong. Had to take another penalty for doing nothing wrong at all. Did everything by the book. It’s still mind blowing that a group of amateurs rule the professional game of golf. I also blame the PGA Tour rules officials for putting out a terrible penalty area line where this could even happen. No accountability at any level here. No protection for the players at all.

“You wonder why guys are wanting to jump ship and go play on another tour. Players need transparency, protection and consistency. We don’t have that under the current governing bodies.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/CZ3EdrCFTin/

Hoffman tagged the PGA Tour and USGA and various media outlets as well as the Saudi International, which was contested last week as part of the Asian Tour and lured more than 20 PGA Tour players to play there with lucrative guaranteed money.

But Hoffman, who is a player director on the PGA Tour Policy Board, wasn’t done ranting. Next he added PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan to the conversation.

“Sorry Jay! We need to do better at all levels of the PGA Tour. Including myself who represent the players on the board of the Tour. If we don’t we won’t have a Tour any longer!” wrote Hoffman, who has won more than $32 million during his career. “Hopefully there will be a change soon.”

Among those who responded in the comments supporting Hoffman were Phil Mickelson (“I feel ya”) and Bryson DeChambeau (“Agree wholeheartedly”). Mickelson called out the Tour last week for being “obnoxiously greedy” and DeChambeau reportedly was offered $150 million to join the Saudi rival league.

But not every player lined up behind Hoffman. Emiliano Grillo and Blayne Barber sent essentially the same comment (“Haha, don’t hit it in the water”) and did so with good humor.

Just another Friday night on the PGA Tour.

When asked if his Olympic win counts as a victory, Xander Schauffele came back with a saucy response

“Screw everybody else, like I think this is a win.”

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Xander Schauffele’s easy-going persona makes him one of the most likable guys on the PGA Tour. Until you ask about the legitimacy of his Olympic gold medal as a victory, that is.

After a smooth-as-silk 65 during the second of the WM Phoenix Open, a reporter asked if Schauffele counts his victory at Kasumigaseki Country Club in Japan as a win. The response was a little out of character for the unflappable Californian.

“Do you count the Olympics as a win?” the former No. 8 snapped back. “I’m pretty sure I’ve gotten more recognition or attention for the Olympics and the gold medal than more than I’ve ever imagined. I think the longer that marinates, the better it gets for me.

“At first, I didn’t just because it was just new and people were telling me no. And then I kind of sat down and looked at it and I was like — hmmm, screw everybody else, like I think this is a win. So if you want to talk about PGA Tour official wins, then, yes, I’m lagging on that end, so we’ll pick up the slack.”

Although he hasn’t hoisted a trophy on the PGA Tour since the 2019 Sentry Tournament of Champions, Schauffele has consistently been in the mix, and he enters the weekend in Arizona at 10 under, tied with Brooks Koepka for second and just two shots behind leader Sahith Theegala.

Leaderboard | PGA Tour Live streaming on ESPN+

Schauffele called Friday’s round “stress-free,” which is a term rarely associated with a place where obstreperous galleries are the norm.

He did, however, mention that one of the things he loves about TPC Scottsdale has come back to bite him thus far.

“Typically the pureness of the greens,” Schauffele said, when asked why he feels comfortable on the course, “but the putter’s kind of holding me back right now, which is kind of unfortunate. So I guess I can take that as a positive and it means I’m playing good golf overall.”

Considering his putter is typically an asset — Schauffele has finished in the top 50 in strokes gained putting in four of his five previous years on Tour — an improvement with the flat stick could mean ending a drought that’s lasted more than three years. Well, a PGA Tour drought, of course.

“It’s nice, it means you’re doing a lot of things well,” he said. “For me, it feels like I’ve been putting pretty bad, so whether it’s just not seeing it or the greens being a little bit faster I think and maybe my putting off certain memory is kind of faulting me.

“But we’ll have to clean it up if I want to win this thing.”

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Rickie Fowler finding positives from WM Phoenix Open, hoping to play weekend

He’s played more rounds at TPC Scottsdale than at any other PGA Tour event.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — He’s played more rounds at TPC Scottsdale than at any other PGA Tour event. Whether he plays two more this weekend remains to be seen.

Rickie Fowler finished his round Friday with a par on the 9th hole, his last of the day. He finished with a 1-under 70, one shot better than his round Thursday.

He’s played the tournament every year since 2009 and his last win on the PGA Tour came here in 2019. While he didn’t sound too confident he’ll put a tee in the ground Saturday, he did talk like there were some positives to take away from rounds one and two.

“I don’t think 1 [under] has a shot,” he said near the clubhouse Friday. “I’d be very surprised if it made it, so we’ll pack up and try to figure out what the plan is for the weekend. If we happen to sneak in, it’d be awesome and we’ll be ready to play tomorrow and Sunday but yesterday morning played pretty tough for those guys so there’s going to be guys moving forward from where they were yesterday. so yea I think it’s a very outside shot that 1 has a chance.”

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

Fowler, 113th in the Official World Golf Ranking and 145th in the  Golfweek/Sagarin rankings, looked at the positives from his week.

“I thought there was a lot of really good stuff. I made a pretty significant grip change going into the week, a lot of positives there,” he said. “Still just waiting for the putter to kind of get going.”

Fowler, who tied for third in October in the CJ Cup, has now missed three straight cuts, but he’s trying to keep a positive outlook.

“It’s very close. It’s not far off at all, so keep moving forward. Yea it’s a bummer but just have to try to stay positive as much as we can and keep looking forward.”

And just how do you do that?

“Don’t dwell on the poor shots or bad swings. Look at the quality shots and drives that we hit this week. There was a lot of good that. … it’s a fine line every week but this golf course there’s a few holes that if you’re not careful they can get you. Played the fifth hole 3 over for the two days. That makes it a little tough.”

Fowler is playing the Genesis Invitational next week and the Honda Classic the week after.

“See if we can get a spot at Bay Hill,” he added.

Beyond that, he’s trying to keep an eye on the Masters. He missed the major in 2021 for the first time as a pro—he watched the first round on TV with Tiger Woods—but has work to do before making plans for a return visit to Augusta National.

“Right now it’s just getting back to where we feel as comfortable as possible. It’s a few different things but a lot of good, positives from this week. Wish it would’ve been a little bit better but I like where we’re headed.”

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Hometown boy Preston Summerhays relishes the cheers during PGA Tour debut at WM Phoenix Open

Preston Summerhays is no stranger to big moments on the golf course.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Preston Summerhays is no stranger to big moments on the golf course. In 2020, he played in the U.S. Open at Winged Foot — a tournament he qualified for by winning the U.S. Junior Amateur. In doing so, he joined a prestigious winners circle that includes Tiger Woods and Jordan Spieth.

But Summerhays, a Scottsdale native and Arizona State freshman, had never experienced a moment like Thursday afternoon at TPC Scottsdale. Despite being the only amateur in the WM Phoenix Open’s field, he garnered one of the day’s biggest cheers when his name was announced at the first tee.

“It’s really cool to have the crowd chant your name,” said Summerhays, who finished the day 3-over through 16 holes before his round was postponed due to darkness. He finished up Friday morning, making bogey on No. 18 to finish his opening round with a 75. “The applause was pretty big on the first hole.”

It was a moment the Scottsdale Chaparral graduate had long dreamt of. His dad, Boyd, is a golf instructor who coaches Tony Finau, among other PGA pros. In middle school, he served as a standard bearer at this tournament, walking with groups and displaying their scores for fans.

By the time he got to high school, those around Summerhays knew he was destined for the PGA Tour.

“We knew he was special just because of his demeanor,” Dan Peterson, the former Chaparral golf coach, said Thursday, standing beside the 14th green. “He approached the game differently than any kid we’d seen come in.”

Early in Thursday’s round, that demeanor proved critical. On the par 4 second hole, Summerhays played a tidy third shot that nestled just seven feet above the hole.

His par putt, though, lipped out off the right edge. That was bad enough. Then, on his three-foot comebacker, Summerhays caught the left edge. A likely par had crescendoed into double-bogey.

“I was definitely a little bit nervous,” Summerhays said. “Had that adrenaline going.”

Critically, though, the misses didn’t get to his head. As he walked off the green, Summerhays simply handed his putter to Boyd, who is caddying for him this week, and turned his focus towards the next tee box.

From there, his round steadied. A poor bunker shot led to bogey on four before he rattled off eight straight pars.

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

Then, on the par-5 13th, Summerhays found the breakthrough he had been searching for, getting up-and-down from the first cut to drop to 2-over.

“Yeah,” Summerhays said of his lone birdie, “finally.”

Although he gave that stroke back with another lip out — this time from four feet — on the following hole, Summerhays was pleased with his driving and ball-striking after the round.

Whether or not he climbs 49 places to squeeze into the top 65 before tomorrow’s cut, though, memories of this week’s play will soon fade. More PGA Tour events, likely by the dozen, will fill Summerhays’ future.

None, though, will offer the culminating moment that Thursday’s round did. As Summerhays walked into the stadium at the 16th hole just past 6 p.m. Thursday night, the remaining fans showered him with chants of “Pres-ton” and “Let’s Go Devils.”

Six of the world’s top 10 players are in Scottsdale this week. Over the course of nine hours Thursday, they too cycled through the 16th hole. Few received the reception that Summerhays did.

Summerhays wasn’t able to punctuate the scene with a birdie, sliding his first putt just past the hole. This time, though, he stepped up and drained his par.

When he did, another chorus of chants broke out behind him. After an afternoon of stoicism, he finally broke character, acknowledging the fans and tossing a ball up towards them.

“I’ve never experienced anything like that,” Summerhays said.

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Don’t expect Jon Rahm to don Arizona State football jersey on Saturday at WM Phoenix Open

When asked about doing it again this week, he said no then adjusted his answer to ‘probably not.’

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Jon Rahm, a proud Arizona State alum, has worn a No. 42 Pat Tillman jersey on the 16th hole a few times in the past during the third round of the WM Phoenix Open.

He did so as an ASU student in 2015, playing in the event as an amateur. He did so again in 2018.

Thursday, when asked about doing it again this week, he said no then adjusted his answer to “probably not.”

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

“Probably not going to come out in a long time,” he said after his opening-round 4-under 67. “Not for lack of enthusiasm or willingness, more for sponsor conflict than anything else. Last time I checked, Travis Mathew doesn’t make football jerseys, right? So can’t really be endorsing somebody else.”

Travis Matthew is a golf apparel company that is owned by Callaway.

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COVID forced Louis Oosthuizen to spend seven weeks in South Africa, but he’s back at the WM Phoenix Open (and off to a hot start)

The rowdy behavior at TPC Scottsdale isn’t fazing Louis Oosthuizen.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – The rowdy behavior at TPC Scottsdale isn’t fazing Louis Oosthuizen, who’s simply happy to be outside, playing golf, and in contention at a PGA Tour event.

It had been almost two years since Oosthuizen and his family had been back to their native South Africa, and the group planned a trip around the holidays to get re-acquainted with friends and family. Unfortunately, what was expected to last a few weeks became almost two months.

“We went there in December and actually got stuck 20 days longer because we got COVID,” he said on Thursday after the opening round of the WM Phoenix Open. Oosthuizen fired a 67 and sat just two strokes behind the early leaders. “And so we were there for seven weeks, I didn’t even take my golf clubs. So I had a good break away from golf and came back and I’m ready for the season.”

Phoenix Open: Leaderboard | PGA Tour Live streaming on ESPN+

Although the extended stay could have sidetracked the opening of his season, the veteran Oosthuizen — who finished in the top three during four of the last five majors, but let each of them slip away — said he appreciated the extra time away from the game.

“It just sort of resets everything, you know, like especially I was quite tired at the end there, going into major weeks having chances to win and not pulling it off, that sort of drains you quite a bit. And I needed the break,” he said. “And four weeks would have been the trick for me, but seven weeks was nice.”

As for the chaos, Oosthuizen said he understands that fans have been pent up and looking for a release. He felt the same during his lengthy time overseas.

“Everyone is hungry and thirsty to be at any sporting event and have fun and watch some golf, so it’s really great to have fans back,” he said. “The first six months playing on Tour without any fans felt so weird, I felt like we were back in the juniors tournaments again and no one is really supporting you. It’s good fun just to see everyone here.”

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Xander Schauffele shoots 67 at WM Phoenix Open despite run-in with a cactus

It was a prickly pear that Xander Schauffele imprudently grabbed on No. 6 at TPC Scottsdale.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – With cactus thorns sticking out of his finger, Xander Schauffele was reminded he was in somewhat foreign territory during Thursday’s first round of the WM Phoenix Open.

“Some people in the crowd were like, ‘Oh, this kid’s from San Diego,’” Schauffele said. “They’re right. We don’t really have cholla or whatever you call it.”

It was actually a prickly pear that Schauffele imprudently grabbed on No. 6 at TPC Scottsdale, but the splinters didn’t end up ruining what was a solid round. He finished in a tie for third with a 4-under 67, the highlight coming on No. 15 when he holed out from the bunker for eagle.

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

“I’m happy with it,” he said. “It looks like we’re 1 off the lead right now. I’m not really sure what the wind is supposed to be doing (late Thursday) afternoon, but this is probably the firmest and fastest I’ve seen this golf course. You have to play smart.”

After his tee shot found a prickly pear on the sixth, Schauffele noticed a loose cactus pad  near his feet. He figured he might as well clear it out, but when he reached to pick it up he realized he had not considered the possibility of thorns on the hidden underside. He was left with “six or seven” thorns sticking out of his right middle finger.

“That was a rookie move,” he said. “Maybe next time I’ll grab a towel or use my glove hand or something like that.”

As it turns out, that incident was far from the most dramatic experience of Schauffele’s previous 24 hours. On Wednesday, his caddie, Austin Kaiser, called him at 6 a.m. and told him he wasn’t feeling good. He wound up testing positive for COVID-19.

The two were staying in the same house in town — Kaiser downstairs, Schauffele upstairs — raising concerns that Kaiser might not be the only positive case. So far, Schauffele said he has remained negative.

“I’m kind of in a weird boat here,” he said. “I’m testing every morning. I got off to a good start here, so hopefully I can keep playing.”

He said he hopes he doesn’t have a similar experience to Jon Rahm at last year’s Memorial Tournament, when he was forced to withdraw after the third round due to a positive test despite owning a 6-stroke lead.

Schauffele said Kaiser had a rough case of COVID, but he was hopeful his caddie will recover soon enough to rejoin him for next week’s Genesis Open in Los Angeles. For now, an old college friend, Kevin Techakanokboon, is helping out.

“Fortunately with ‘Tech,’ we’ve played a ton of golf together,” Schauffele said. “He’s caddied for me once. There are small things that Austin knows to do that ‘Tech’ has no idea what to do. But he plays and it’s very helpful for me. I can trust his reads and sort of his feels, as well.”

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Brooks Koepka, who says it is ’embarrassing’ to be ranked 20th in the world, opens with 66 at WM Phoenix Open

There was nothing embarrassing about Brooks Koepka’s play in the opening round at TPC Scottsdale.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Embarrassing.

That’s the word four-time major champion and former World No. 1 Brooks Koepka used to describe entering the week ranked No. 20 in the Official World Golf Ranking.

“I mean, that’s embarrassing to be 20th, I feel like,” said Koepka, who is winless since last year’s WM Phoenix Open. “A lot of it has to do with injury, man. I’ve been hurt, on the sidelines, not playing, playing through injury, you can’t compete with guys out here. It’s nice to be somewhat healthy and get out here and I mean I’m not too worried about it, it will bounce back up.”

There was nothing embarrassing about Koepka’s play in the opening round at TPC Scottsdale as he carded six birdies and a lone bogey to shoot 5-under 66, one stroke behind the early clubhouse leader K.H. Lee.

Koepka, a two-time champion in Phoenix, has missed the cut in three of his last four official PGA Tour starts and hasn’t recorded a top-10 since the British Open in July. But the WM Phoenix Open is a tournament that sounds and feels a lot like a major to Koepka and he thrives in that environment.

“He loves playing in front of people,” said Koepka’s caddie Rickie Elliot. “He loves the big crowds this tournament always gets and how the course this week is playing firm and fast.”

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

“I love when people get rowdy.” Koepka added. “They’re cheering you when you hit it tight, and they’re booing you when you hit it bad. It almost feels like a real sport, like football, basketball, things like that, soccer.

“If you do something wrong, you deserve to get heckled. If you do something right, they will cheer for you. I think that’s what makes this event so cool. I understand why some guys don’t like it. They don’t agree with, or they just don’t play it, I guess, because they don’t like it. It’s something I have always loved.”

Koepka, 31, also loves TPC Scottsdale, site of his first PGA Tour victory in 2015.

“It suits me down to the ground. I think you see a lot of guys that hit it long and fade it, play well here,” Koepka said. “It’s a bomber’s paradise. If you can put the ball in play, you can make some good scores.”

After tweaking the swing weight and lie on his driver, Koepka was “dialed in” on Thursday – his words despite hitting just 6 of 14 fairways – noting it’s one thing to find fairways at home during practice and another under the bright lights of a tournament. He did, however, spray a 3-wood at the 348-yard 17th hole ringed by water to the left and behind the green that could have been disastrous.

“Helluva drive,” Koepka cracked of his shot that sailed some 50 yards right of his target. But he drew a decent lie and liked the distance of 83 yards to the hole. He lofted a pitch to 7 feet and stole a birdie from the jaws of bogey or worse.

“I was trying to be 25 feet short and left of the hole, but it was starting to roll towards the water and it was a little too close to me,” he said. “I’ll take three, for sure.”

Korea’s K.H. Lee is a big fan of TPC Scottsdale, too. Last year, he finished runner-up to Koepka. He picked up where he left off by rolling in three birdies and an eagle on the front nine en route to posting 6-under 65. Xander Schauffele, Louis Oosthuizen and Charley Hoffman shared third place at 4-under 67.

“Just very comfortable here,” said Lee, who won the AT&T Byron Nelson last year for his lone victory on another TPC layout, at TPC Craig Ranch. “Everything better.”

But to improve upon his showing last year and hoist the trophy on Sunday, Lee may have to outduel Koepka, who seems set on making another run at the title of world No. 1.

“I mean there’s nobody out here that’s shooting to be No. 2 in the world,” Koepka said. “So if you are, you’re probably playing the wrong – shouldn’t be playing. So 19 spots to go.”

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