– The TPC Scottsdale showed its claws in the afternoon. A world of difference between the two shifts. Night and day. Sam Stevens (-5) achieved a feat with his bogey-free round of 66 in the first round of the WM Phoenix Open. He is in third place. It seemed like an impossible round. The wind picked up a bit more, not even excessively, but above all, the greens became like glass. Look but don’t touch. Stevens, one of those reliable players who consistently produces good results without making much noise, excelled in his approach shots. He gave a demonstration with the irons. His specialty.
– Stevens was the best of the afternoon. No one else in his shift scored 66. The next best was Rasmus Neergaard Petersen (-4), one stroke behind. And that’s it. They are the only two among the top twelve. Night and day. The Danish player’s round deserves a lot of credit. He was the last to join the PGA Tour among those who earned their card through the Race to Dubai last year and is already making his mark. He made the cut at the Farmers and in Phoenix, he has already placed himself among the top 10 and even had the luxury of making a birdie on the 16th in front of an enthusiastic crowd. He is a very good player. We’ll see if he doesn’t end up winning on the PGA Tour before the Hojgaard twins.
– The truth is that Denmark can look at the Phoenix leaderboard with a lot of pride. Nicolai Hojgaard (-5), Rasmus Neergard Petersen (-4), and Rasmus Hojgaard (-3) are all positioned very high. However, the brothers played in the morning, with significantly more favourable conditions.
– Among the notable names in the afternoon, Hideki Matsuyama (-3) was the best by far. The Japanese player is so good when conditions are tougher. Among the others, Viktor Hovland (-2) also deserves a mention, while Xander Schauffele (PAR) managed to hold things together, although he shouldn’t be complacent this Friday if he doesn’t want to miss his second consecutive cut.
– Brooks Koepka (+4) had a very tough time. Nothing worked. The putter was once again a significant burden and, on top of that, it affected his driving. He was very inaccurate off the tee and got himself into problems he couldn’t solve. That’s when he missed the putter the most.
– It’s striking how many frog jumps were seen on the first day. The escape areas of the TPC Scottsdale are so treacherous with that grass always combed against you. Scheffler made two, while Spieth and Morikawa each messed up once. These were shots not often seen among professionals, especially Morikawa’s. The ball didn’t advance much more than a metre. And these are just the ones that appeared on TV; surely there were several more.
– Once again, the pace of play on the PGA Tour leaves much to be desired. No fewer than nine players, three groups, failed to complete the first round. Among them, John Parry (-3) stands out, who was on the 16th hole and is doing very well in his debut on the PGA Tour. He has made the cut in the first three tournaments played and is on the same path here. The Frenchman Adrien Saddier is also at -3 with two holes to go.
