Photo Credit: ArizonaGolfer.com
Preview
It is safe to say that there is no event on The PGA Tour quite like the WM Phoenix Open. Field wise, it is one of the 13 designated events this year, not counting the majors, so the field actually is something we will see again this year. Most notable on the field this week, Rory McIlroy is making his first PGA Tour start since The CJ Cup in October, which he won. The course is one of the better venues we see on the tour every year. The closing stretch from 15-18 is one of the most entertaining in all of golf. With 15 and 17 being true risk reward holes, 16 being the most lively atmosphere in the history of pro golf, and 18 being one of the most demanding tee shots that players have all day, this event usually brings the drama even down to the final stroke. Obviously, on top of the great field and the great course, the atmosphere is truly unmatched. Whether you think it is good or bad for the game, this event aims to be the most fan friendly on Tour. It is loud with constant chatter and music playing. The amphitheater that is 16 brings an unmatched energy, and with this year being The Super Bowl in Phoenix the same weekend as this event, we will likely see the largest and rowdiest crowd in the history of this event and perhaps professional golf.
As we do every week, we will make our three picks. One from near the top of the odds board, one from the middle, and one longshot. We are coming off a good week on our picks in which we predicted a Denny McCarthy top five (T4) and an Eric Cole top 30 (T15) going two for three on our predictions. Let’s see if we can keep it going this week.
Xander Schauffele
Looking towards the top of the odds list we find Xander Schauffele. Now there are many things that stand out making Xander a good pick this week. Xander’s worst finish in this event in his career is a T17. In the last two years he has a T3 and a T2 finish. There is something about this tournament that seems to always bring out the best in his game. Combine that with his recent form and things get really enticing. If you do not count his WD from The Sentry TOC, he has four starts and has recorded T13, T9, 4th, and T3 finishes this year. He is one of the worlds premier ball strikers and this is a ball strikers golf course through and through. Sometimes we get deep in the weeds on stats and analyze situations down to excruciating detail. This is about as straightforward as it gets. One of the best players in the world in good form on a course he has a great history with. The only concern is how insanely competitive it will be this week with the designated event field. Nonetheless, we expect Xander to compete for the win with the floor of a top five finish.
Si Woo Kim
Si Woo is someone who has experienced a real bump in notoriety from his lively performance in the last Presidents Cup. He has backed that up with some quality play to start the 2023 season. Si Woo has made 7 starts and has made the cut in all of them. He won the Sony Open this year showing some real guts pulling off an unbelievable 3 wood off the tee on the 72nd hole of the tournament. Now his history in this event is a fairly mixed bag. That however is not the reason we are selecting him this week as our mid table pick. This is not a normal PGA event. With this being a designated event most of the best players in the world are teeing it up this week. A mid odds player has to have an almost irrational confidence to hang with an almost overwhelming group of apex predator players in the field. That is the mold that Si Woo Kim fits. With the attitude he showed at the Presidents Cup, combined with his good form this season, we think that he has the a real chance to get a top 10 finish this week.
Aaron Rai
Rai has never played in this event before. In only his second season as a full member of The PGA Tour there is a reason he finds himself a ways down the odds board. This pick is almost solely based on his course fit. Per datagolf, he is the third best course fit in the field this week only behind Collin Morikawa and Tom Kim, which is some elite company to have. He has two top 20 finishes in the 2023 season thus far, which is quite respectable for someone of his stature in the game up to this point of his career. His big calling card is driving accuracy. He is almost 2.5 times more accurate than the average PGA Tour player off the tee per datagolf. This shows that he has a truly elite skill. Anytime you have something like that which is a real calling card for you, it gives you a chance to compete with the best players in the world. Which is exactly the task that Aaron Rai will be facing this week. We think Rai has a great week and gets a top 30 finish this week at The WM Phoenix Open.
