The 2022 Waste Management Phoenix Open ended in a grand fashion. It was so good that it even delayed viewing for many fans to watch the beginning of Super Bowl LVI.
Patrick Cantlay and Scottie Scheffler each had 16-under at the end of the final round. Once the playoff began, both players sunk par twice on the par-4,18th hole. Finally, Scheffler nailed a 26-foot birdie putt that landed him his first PGA Tour title of his career.
Close Cuts
Xander Schauffele was another golfer that almost had his way to a victory. He, too, had missed a crucial birdie putt on the final hole, which allowed him to remain tied for third place with 15-under along with Brooks Koepka and Sahith Theegala.
Speaking of Theegala, he led through 54 holes of golf and seemingly came out of nowhere to dominate the field. Even more exciting is the fact that he was The Thunderbirds’ third sponsor exemption which allows him to compete.
As for Koepka, he was a two-time defending champion of this event when it began. It is nice to see him back in action and looking like his former self, despite the T3 finish.
Back to Back Aces
Two days in a row, fans were greeted on hole 16 with hole-in-ones. Beer cans showered the course when Sam Ryder nailed his 124-yard shot. The next day, Carlos Ortiz nailed one even further at 178 yards.
Surprising Results
One golfer that many believed would be in the top five of this event was Viktor Hovland. The current third-ranked golfer in the world did not even make the cut and finished with a +2. Hovland is still fairly young, as he is only 24, and has plenty of time to get back in shape after a tough go at this event.
Tom Hoge is a name that surprised too but in a more positive light. The 39th ranked golfer in the world finished T14 and was in close contention until the end. Even so, he still earned a nice $133,250.
Hoge recently earned 500 FedEx Cup points, which translates to a two-year exemption for the PGA Tour, and got to take home $1,476,000 in his victory at the AT&T Pebble Beach. Heading into this event, he was definitely someone to keep an eye on.
Looking at Scheffler, he played so well that he will obviously boost his world ranking. Scheffler, along with Hoge, have more room to grow, it seems.
Playoff That Almost Did Not Happen
Scottie Scheffler had an up and down kind of day to cap off this exciting performance. After a few mistakes throughout the day, he was finally able to get it together on hole 13 and finish strong.
Cantlay almost skipped this event entirely but decided to add it into his schedule. Due to other events he had planned, he felt that it made sense to play here instead of extra travel needed to go elsewhere.
