Waste Management Phoenix Open 2022 Overview
Over Super Bowl weekend, the PGA Tour heads to Arizona for the Waste Management Phoenix Open. The PGA Tour has named “The People’s Open” “Tournament of the Year” four times since 2014, making it one of the most popular fan events of the year.The players have divided opinion some who take to the wild atmosphere, and other more traditionalists that maybe don’t appreciate the party like atmosphere.
Players will confront a different challenge this week, as the golf ball will travel significantly further than it has in the past over Hawaii and California, at an elevation of around 1,200 feet above sea level. As well as the conditions in the air the players will have the fans to deal with as we have touched upon so it’s all change this week for the worlds best.
We have 6 of the world top 10 in attendance along with 17 of the top 30 in the official golf world rankings. A star studded field for one the the events of the year.
The top Tee-to-Green operators on Tour have prospered on the course in Scottsdale. The desert course is rather gentle for the first 14 holes, but a terrific closing stretch with plenty of great reward alternatives makes for an exciting finale. The Par 5 at No. 15 is a classic risk/reward hole, with a water hazard running the length of the left side from tee to green. Then it’s on to No. 16, where the high-octane action generally draws a raucous crowd to an unrivalled amphitheatre encircled by grandstands followed by the short Par 4 17th which the majority of the field can drive if they choose to do so.Drama is almost guaranteed at the Waste Management Phoenix Open.
TPC Scottsdale’s greens are big, averaging approximately 7,000 square feet. Six holes feature water, and the smooth bermuda greens are sparsely guarded by hazards. As nearly every champion in recent memory has been near the top of Greens-in-Regulation, hitting greens has been critical to contending. A ball strikers paradise this week but also one where you require the flat stick to be in good order.
If your new to golf viewing this is one event not to be missed. If you are thinking of getting your friends involved in the sport this is the event to point them to for sure.
The cream has risen to the top here over the past 10 years. 8 of the last 9 winners were major champions or won The Players, something to bare in mind when finalising your selections for the week.
5 Key Skills Set Required
- SG T2G – The natural place to start this week is with overall Tee to Green performance. This is one event where the ball strikers seem to rise to the top of the leaderboard. Many weeks onto the flat stick is an important factor however this week less so which could explain the reason behind Hideki Matsuyama winning this event in back-to-back years notoriously poor with the flat stick. I will be looking at recent form from tee to green as a key factor. 4 of the past 5 winners have ranked in the top 2 for SG T2G that particular week.
- GIR Gained – Five of the last six winners of ranked in the top five for green in regulations gained on that particular week at the Waste Management Phoenix open. This tells you all you need to know. Players that hit plenty of greens this week will have an outstanding chance of lifting the trophy, the greens are large by PGATour standards and we see more put here rolled in from outside of 15 feet than many of the courses the players will play during 2022.
- SG Par 4 -400-500Yards – 10 holes each day fall in the 400 to 500 yard range And therefore I want to pay particular attention to players who have dominated the par fours in recent times.
- SG Scrambling – For the first week in a while putting isn’t making headlines in the key categories to consider section however it is slightly built-in to the scramble in statistics that I will be looking at this week. Scrambling has been a key factor here at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. Winners of the event often scrambling at a 70% or better throughout the week.
- Bogey Avoidance – This correlates with scrambling. Players this week will have to keep bogeys off their card, this is a proper test of golf with all parts of the game put through the ringer, off the tee, approach play and the short game will all be tested and the players who lifts the trophy will also be a player who has made very few bogeys. It’s certainly more important this week that it has been at any point in 2022 events so far.
