2017 Waste Management Phoenix Open: Reflections on a Thriller
The 2017 Waste Management Phoenix Open brought a record 655,434 fans to the “Greatest Show On Turf.”
2017 Waste Management Phoenix Open fans, all 655,434 of them, tell a story that’s unique in the game of pro golf. They scream and yell, they boo and cheer like an uninhibited mob of World Cup soccer fans.
Once a year, pro golfers encourage those rowdy fans who need little encouragement to whip themselves up into shrieking frenzies just because it’s TPC Scottsdale and the Greatest Show on Turf.
Hideki Matsuyama gave those fans what they wanted last week. He put together a flawless performance, recording 65, 68, 68 and 66 in his four rounds. Matsuyama’s 72-hole showing capped off 48 pars, 19 birdies, 1 eagle and 4 bogeys. That was just enough to get into a stunningly balanced 4-hole playoff against Webb Simpson. In the end Matsuyama walked away from the playoff with his 2nd Waste Management Phoenix Open title.
Matsuyama’s performance wasn’t the only thing that caught eye this week in Scottsdale. That said, let’s take a look back at some of the highlights of this year’s tournament.
Matt Kuchar grabbed the 2017 Waste Management Phoenix Open spotlight early. On Thursday Kuch carded a 7-under 64, assembling a bogey-free round which included 5 birdies and an eagle.
Kuchar would go on to shoot 69, 69 and 70 in his final three rounds, which was good for 9th place and his first top 10 finish of the season.
Feb 2, 2017; Scottsdale, AZ, USA; Matt Kuchar with his tee shot on the 11th hole during the first round of the Waste Management Phoenix Open golf tournament at TPC Scottsdale. Mandatory Credit: Allan Henry-USA TODAY Sports
Nevertheless, despite his fine round the glory didn’t last long for Kuchar. Hideki Matsuyama was already nipping at his heels from 2nd place Thursday night.
Matsuyama knew it was crucial to strike quickly if he wanted to retain his Waste Management title. Hideki’s opening 18-holes consisted of 6 birdies and 12 pars, as well as one of ten bogey-free cards. Matsuyama drew thousands of eyes, each tossing around the idea of a repeat title defense.
Phil Mickelson, always a crowd favorite in the desert and battling for his 4th win at the 2017 Waste Management Phoenix Open, found himself just 4-strokes off the lead Thursday evening. “Lefty” also carded a bogey-free round with 3 birdies and 15 pars.
On Thursday the win seemed within reach but Mickelson hovered around 10th place for most of the tournament.
Brendan Steele also carded a 65 to go along with Matsuyama but Steele didn’t maintain the pace.
The Thursday leaderboard was jam-packed. Five players carded 66’s (Scott Brown, Robert Garrigus, Chris Kirk, John Peterson and Byeong Hun An) and 8 carded 67’s (Webb Simpson, Rickie Fowler, Martin Laird, Graham DeLaet. J.B. Holmes, Steve Stricker, Brooks Koepka and Alex Cejka. Yet none got close to the final Sunday contest for the hardware.
Friday’s round at the 2017 Waste Management Phoenix Open was riveting. Some players were just trying to make the cut but others were getting into position to charge for the win.
J.J. Spaun and Jonas Blixt each carded a round low 64, giving both a serious if temporary boost on the leaderboard.
Even though Blixt had a bumpy rest of his tournament, he caught eyes on Friday with his 7-under round performance. The Swede knocked home 8 birdies and had only one bogey setback. Blixt looked good on Friday but would go on to finish the tournament at 4-under in a tie for 52nd.
J.J. Spaun had a much better end to his tournament, finishing in 4th place, thanks to Friday’s flawless round. Spaun, who’s only playee 11 career events, finished his tournament at 15-under par, which was good for his second top 10 finish this season.
Matsuyama began to make his move on Friday, carding a 2nd round 68. Never mind that he also recorded his first 2017 Waste Management Phoenix Open bogey on Friday. After he put together 4 birdies and 13 pars, Hideki left himself in an ideal position come the weekend.
Justin Thomas and Bubba Watson disappointed the fans and themselves. The pair failed to make the cut, finishing Friday at 1-under par. No doubt each expected a much greater performance than they delivered this week.
Mandatory Credit: Rob Schumacher/The Arizona Republic via USA TODAY NETWORK
Rickie Fowler carded a 68, Jordan Spieth carded a 68 and Jon Rahm carded a 69.
Byeong Hun An flew under the radar on Friday, saving his breakout for Saturday’s round.
Moving day was buzzing at the 2017 Waste Management Phoenix Open! Now that every golfer made the cut and was safe to play weekend golf, they all focused on the task at hand, establishing a prime position for Sunday.
Byeong Hun An looked good. The hot young Korean carded a 65, giving him 16-under for the tournament and the outright lead. An carded a timely bogey-free third round, posting 6 birdies and 12 pars.
Feb 4, 2017; Scottsdale, AZ, USA; Byeong Hun An with his tee shot on the 11th during the third round of the Waste Management Phoenix Open golf tournament at TPC Scottsdale. Mandatory Credit: Allan Henry-USA TODAY Sports
Despite his solid 3rd round, An struggled in the final grouping on Sunday, shooting +2 and finishing in 6th place at 14-under.
Martin Laird also had a timely third round. With 7 birdies, 4 of them coming in a row on holes 3-6, he carded a 6-under 65.
John Peterson, who was among the top tier of the leaderboard Thursday, bounced back with a 8-under third round after posting a second round 72. Peterson sunk an eagle and notched eight birdies in his Saturday round.
Hideki Matsuyama delivered yet another solid round of 68, giving him a firm chance of repeating his success.
Sunday at the 2017 Waste Management Phoenix Open was all about Hideki Matsuyama and Webb Simpson.
Simpson came surging up the leaderboard after shooting a 7-under round. His final round included 5 birdies and 2 eagles, therefore giving him a share of the lead with Matsuyama walking off the 18th green.
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Matsuyama played a magnificent final round, firing off 3 birdies and one eagle to get in a playoff with Simpson. Matsuyama had an ideal chance to put the tournament away in regulation when he had a birdie putt that rolled just centimeters short.
So the playoff began. While each golfer pared the first three playoff holes, on the fourth Matsuyama buried his 10-foot birdie putt to thump Simpson in route to his back-to-back title in the Grand Canyon State.
Just a year ago, Matsuyama finished off Rickie Fowler in their playoff on the same green.
The Japanese golfing sensation has taken his game to the next level over the past couple of seasons. This tournament win marks Matsuyama’s fourth career PGA Tour victory, ranking the most among Japanese born players ever. Hideki already quickly has two wins and four top 10’s in six events played on Tour this season.
So, this concludes yet another thrilling Waste Management Phoenix Open. Each year this event gets better and better. The fans show up by the thousands and their energy spreads throughout the entire course. Until next year, TPC Scottsdale is signing out.
