Waste Management Phoenix Open: Expert Picks

Tournament Information:

Waste Management Phoenix Open

Date: February 1^st – 4^th

Course: TPC Scottsdale

Purse - $6.9MM

FedEx points – 500 to winner

2017 Winner: Hideki Matsuyama (-17)

Course: TPC Scottsdale - Tom Weiskopf and Jay Morrish built this course in 1987. It is one of the most heavily attended tournaments of the year with over 20,000 capacity. The 72 par course has 72 bunkers, some are a little deep across vast desert terrain amidst the holes. Hole 16 has a coliseum affect as the stands surround the shot onto the green, it’s a raucous atmosphere, one only mirrored by the Ryder Cup.

6 Golfers who I think would do well at the CareerBuilder Challenge

My Starting 4:

Hideki Matsuyama – The obvious choice, fresh off back to back wins here (not to mention a 2^nd place finish in 2015) he is the runaway favorite to win this year.

Rickie Fowler – First, his last two years here yielded a 4^th place and 2^nd place finish. Second, fresh off a missed cut last week, he will bounce back (his last 3 missed cuts next tournament – 5^th, 60^th & 4^th) Third he played great this season prior to the missed cut – 2^nd place, 1^st place and 4^th place. Fourth – he has the special pedigree to succeed at a boisterous tournament like this, he absolutely feeds off the crowd.

Webb Simpson. He finished 14^th here in 2016 and 2^ndlast year, ignoring the RSM classic this year which he withdrew due to a family situation, he has 3 top 20 finishes and no missed cuts this season. He is playing great all around golf right now – 43^rd in strokes gained off the tee, 33^rd in strokes gained approaching the green, 18^th in strokes gained putting.

Zach Johnson – Only two golfers have top 20 finishes in each of the last 3 years – Hideki is one, Zach is the other. 10^th in 2015, 14^th in 2016 and 12^th place finish last year, he is a solid bet for a good finish with top 25 finishes in every start this season. He is currently at 15^th on the tour in total strokes gained.

My Bench 2:

Adam Hadwin – He finished 12^th here last year and 17^thin 2015. His 2018 season is mirroring his 2017 season – a bunch of 30-40 place finishes and a very strong Career Builder Challenge. By this math, he should be a top 20 finish at Waste Management.

Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Daniel Berger – Not only has he not missed a cut in 6 tournaments this season but 5 in a row have been top 25 finishes. Add to this a 10^th place finish here in 2015 and 7^th place finish last year and he’s odds on favorite for a top 25 finish.

2018 Stats

Starting 4: Avg finish 34th (28^th percentile)

Bench 2: Avg finish 45^th (36^th percentile)