It seemed we had half the remaining players left in contention coming down the stretch at the daunting South course, but it made for a dramatic finish. Both Gary Woodland and Marc Lieshman had opportunities to control their own destiny, but they both dropped the ball, allowing Scott Stallings to steal the stage.
Stallings shot a four under round of 68 to grab his third PGA Tour win. Scott’s round was highlighted by an approach on the par 5 18th that looked all but guaranteed to end in the water but somehow checked up on the front side of the large finishing green. Stallings posted a nine under which proved to be just enough to outlast the pack behind him as five golfers finished at eight under. Per CBS on Sunday, Stallings is only one of six active golfers with three wins under the age 30 along with Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson, Keegan Bradley, Webb Simpson and Anthony Kim. Stallings is a player to watch in 2014.
Although Torrey Pines is one of the more difficult, and popular stops on tour, this week presents a whole different beast. TPC Scottsdale will play host to the Waste Management Phoenix Open, and one hell of a party with it. This tour stop is far and away the largest attended golfing event of the year and one of the most unique you may ever see during the 2014 PGA season.
The par 3 16th is what makes this course famous, but not because of the course attributes; it is because of the stadium built surrounding the hole, giving the players a feeling like they are teeing off in a not so small arena. Oh, I forgot to mention, most players get the crowd yelling and screaming right before they shot so it sounds more like a football game than a tee box. Although we will not have caddy races this year ( :( ), I expect to see some excitement on the scoreboard.
Phil Mickelson ran away with the tournament last year, and he will be the favorite coming into this week. With his college history at Arizona State, many consider this course to be Phil’s bread and butter. He has won this event three times since 1996 and will look to get his first victory on 2014 come Super Bowl Sunday.
The par 3 16th is what makes this course famous, but not because of the course attributes; it is because of the stadium built surrounding the hole, giving the players a feeling like they are teeing off in a not so small arena. Oh, I forgot to mention, most players get the crowd yelling and screaming right before they shot so it sounds more like a football game than a tee box. Although we will not have caddy races this year ( :( ), I expect to see some excitement on the scoreboard.
Phil Mickelson ran away with the tournament last year, and he will be the favorite coming into this week. With his college history at Arizona State, many consider this course to be Phil’s bread and butter. He has won this event three times since 1996 and will look to get his first victory on 2014 come Super Bowl Sunday.
I think Phil is due for regression given his bad back which leaves the door open for others to walk through. Webb Simpson is my pick to grab the win this week. Webb already had a win this season, coming at the Shriners, and is yet to shoot a round over 73 in his 2014 events. Along with that, Simpson has fared well here in his last two showings, both tying for eighth place. Webb leads the tour in many performance categories, including scoring averages, overall birdies and driving distance. I think the driving distance is the x-factor, as Webb is not thought to be a power player and usually uses his precision to string together some birdies.
If you are looking for a party to watch before you Super Bowl party starts, flip over to CBS come Sunday. There will be putts dropping, beers flowing and professional golf being played like you have never seen it before.
If you are looking for a party to watch before you Super Bowl party starts, flip over to CBS come Sunday. There will be putts dropping, beers flowing and professional golf being played like you have never seen it before.
-Bryan
Post a Comment