Japanese dominance before heading into the weekend at the WM Phoenix Open. Japanese golfer Ryo Hisatsune (-11) leads the tournament standings, with his compatriot Hideki Matsuyama (-10) hot on his heels. The 23-year-old leader is maintaining the high level of golf he displayed last week at the Farmers, where he secured a brilliant tied second place. A winner on the DP World Tour after conquering the Open de France in 2023, he aims to get the job done as soon as possible in the newly started 2026 season after retaining his playing rights by finishing in the top 100 at the FedEx Fall last autumn on the circuit.
Hideki, with a great round of 64 strokes in the morning session, with eight birdies, six of them in a row, and a bogey, led the tournament for hours. Until fellow Japanese Hisatsune managed to surpass him with a legendary round finish. He had closed his first nine with two flawless birdies and completed his round by gaining six strokes on the field in his last six holes, with four birdies, an eagle, and a par. He achieved the final birdie that gave him the solo lead on the par-four 17th… sinking a sensational chip after dropping, having sent his ball into the water.
For Chris Gotterup (-8), who started the day leading the standings, today, Friday, was a day full of ups and downs. He closed the first nine with two birdies and two bogeys, and when it seemed his round could take off, with a sensational eagle on the par-five 13th, he made a grave mistake by missing a one-metre par putt on the 14th and failed to seize a good opportunity on the 15th to return to double digits. In the stadium, his brave attempt to attack the flag ended with his ball bouncing hard on the green to finish next to the stands. Bogey on the card and a poor 71.
Pierceson Coody (-8), who shone with a great birdie on the 16th to deliver a card of 68 strokes, remains in the fight. His season start, with two top 20s at the Sony Open and the American Express and a great tied second place at the Farmers, confirms him as one of the most in-form players at the start of 2026. Not forgetting names like Si Woo Kim (-7), the best of the day with 62 strokes, Akshay Bathia (-7), John Parry (-7), Sahith Theegala (-7), or Matt Fitzpatrick (-7), perfectly positioned to face the weekend with chances to fight for everything in the tournament.
You may have been worried that Scottie wasn't going to make the cut … he surely wasn't.
Scheffler sits on the cutline with 8 to play @WMPhoenixOpen.
📺 Golf Channel pic.twitter.com/R7EBtQ47sj
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) February 6, 2026
And someone who should not be ruled out despite his disappointing tournament start on Thursday is, of course, the Number One in the world, Scottie Scheffler (-4). The Ridgewood native turned the page on the problems he had in the first round to show his more usual version: that of a solid player who barely makes mistakes and achieves results with astonishing ease. He is still far from the lead in the tournament, but his round of 65 strokes this Friday, with six flawless birdies and several more good opportunities that narrowly missed (like on the 16th and 17th), is a warning to competitors. He has already passed the cut in 66 consecutive tournaments, and if he is in tune tomorrow, he could very well find himself in the fight for victory on Sunday.
A title that some illustrious names in the tournament will no longer be able to contest. Starting with Brooks Koepka (+2), for whom the return to the PGA Tour is proving challenging. And continuing with Jordan Spieth (+3), in the match with Scheffler and Gotterup, squandering his chances of making the cut with a bogey in the stadium and a ball in the water on the 17th. By the way, much credit to Wyndham Clark (-1), who left the 11th hole with four over par in total and made five birdies in his last seven flags of the day to make the cut.
