Waste Management Phoenix Open: Course and current form stats

This week's venue, TPC Scottsdale, has been part of the PGA Tour rota since 1987.

Opened the previous year, it was a joint collaboration between former Open champ Tom Weiskopf, and fellow golf course architect Jay Morrish who sadly passed away in 2015.

The Stadium Course at Scottsdale was laid out approximately 1,500 feet above sea level, and is surrounded by the rugged Sonoran Desert, and nearby McDowell Mountain range.

As many as 15 of the world's top 20 are teeing-up in Thursday's opening round, with the tournament once again being played the same week as the NFL Super Bowl.

Course Characteristics

With generous fairways and less trouble than at most PGA Tour venues, this layout certainly encourages the pros to blast it long and be aggressive. The dry desert Arizona air will also help the ball to travel further.

Weiskopf returned to undertake an upgrade of the course in 2014 when, among other things, he planted around 250 trees. These, when fully grown, may restrict the current freedom off the tee.

This $12m renovation also involved resurfacing of greens and re-building of bunkers.

The average winning 72-hole total at Scottsdale since 2000 is 265.96, while the highest winning score this Millennium is 270.

Latest betting for this week's Waste Management Phoenix Open

Stroke Averages

Lowest 12 At TPC Scottsdale (2016-21)
Average.... (Rounds)
67.94: Xander Schauffele (16)
68.05: Rickie Fowler (22)
68.14: Hideki Matsuyama (21)
68.20: Matt Kuchar (20)
68.20: Jon Rahm (20)
68.45: Webb Simpson (22)
68.50: Justin Thomas (20)
68.67: Max Homa (12)
68.67: JT Poston (12)
68.67: Jordan Spieth (12)
68.75: Brooks Koepka (12)
68.82: Bubba Watson (22)
Min. No. of Rounds = 10
Only those entered this week are included in table

PGA Tour Stroke Averages

Lowest 12 in Desert Conditions (Since 1.1.20)
Average.... (Rounds)
67.50: Xander Schauffele (16)
67.61: Webb Simpson (18)
67.88: Patrick Cantlay (16)
68.00: Tony Finau (16)
68.17: Harold Varner (18)
68.19: Justin Thomas (16)
68.25: Bubba Watson (12)
68.30: Sam Burns (20)
68.35: Louis Oosthuizen (20)
68.38: Cameron Davis (16)
68.41: Andrew Putnam (22)
Min. No. of Rounds = 12
Only those entered this week are included in table.
Venues: Shadow Creek, The Summit Club, TPC Summerlin, TPC Scottsdale, PGA West

Four To Watch

Viktor Hovland: Not doing much wrong right now. The Norwegian has made his way up to No 3 in the World Ranking thanks to a trio of victories since the start of November.

Jon Rahm: Still world No 1. Two of his three PGA Tour outings in 2022 have yielded podium finishes. His worst result at TPC Scottsdale in six outings is tied-16th.

Xander Schauffele: Certainly the two stroke average tables listed above would suggest that Xander's chances of winning this week are strong. The 28-year-old is seeking a first victory since last year's Olympic tournament in Tokyo. Runner-up at TPC Scottsdale last year.

Bubba Watson: Bit of a long shot. The two-time Masters champion was runner-up in Saudi Arabia on Sunday, where he collected his best haul of World Ranking points since June 2018. Five times a top-five finisher at Scottsdale.

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Note: List Contains Leading Reserves