The Punter's De-Brief: Scheffler off the mark at last

Drama is almost guaranteed at TPC Scottsdale and for the fifth time in seven years, the WM Phoenix Open went to extra time and at least four players will feel that they should have won.

The two-time winner, Brooks Koepka, ranked first for Greens In Regulation at halfway and he was matched at a low of 2.829/5 during Saturday's third round but after playing his first ten holes on Sunday in two-over-par, his back nine rally wasn't quite enough and he finished up one shot short, no doubt lamenting a bogey four at the 16th and his weekend approach play.

Xander Schauffele also finished one shot short after a bogey-free three-under-par 68 on Sunday but he'd been matched at 2.3811/8 on Saturday before a horror back nine and he will be kicking himself at the way he finished the tournament. He left his eagle putt on 17 two inches short before missing from eight feet for birdie on the 72nd hole.

Tournament invite, Sahith Theegala, was in tears after his finish and it was totally understandable. The 24-year old had led after rounds one, two and three and when Patrick Cantlay failed to birdie the drivable par four 17th and Theegala, who was matched at a high of 600.0599/1 before the off, was matched at a low of 2.0421/20 as he stood on the penultimate tee tied for the lead but it wasn't to be. It didn't look like he'd hit too wayward a drive but it took a nasty kick left and found a watery grave.

Costly mistake at 17.

Co-leader Sahith Theegala finds the water off the tee. pic.twitter.com/2SMrecER9O

? PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) February 13, 2022

Patrick Cantlay, a pre-event 18.017/1 chance hit a low of 1.454/9 when he gave himself nine feet for birdie at the 18th but he hit a poor putt (as he'd also done on 17) and he had to settle for par to post 16-under-par.

The very well-backed pre-event 26.025/1 chance, Scottie Scheffler, had looked a lost cause when he trailed by nine at halfway. He was matched at a high of 300.0299/1 at the midway point but he muscled into the final group on Sunday after a spectacular 62 on Saturday.

Scottie was trading at a single-figure price as the Sunday shootout began but after he'd bogeyed the 12th in round four to play the first two thirds of his round in level par, it looked again as if his race was run and his price spiked back up to 30.029/1 but he rallied brilliantly.

The 25-year-old Ryder Cupper, who was still in search of his first PGA Tour title, birdied 13, 14, 15 and 17 and when he gave himself just five feet for birdie at the 18th to take the title, he was matched at a low of just 1.162/13 but he hit an awful putt, pulling it badly and after he made the three-footer for par we were into a playoff.

Cantlay and Scheffler parred the 18th hole twice before Scheffler drained this 25-footer for a birdie three and the title.

Scottie takes it in Scottsdale! a href="https://t.co/fhkEjrb13N">pic.twitter.com/fhkEjrb13N

? PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) February 14, 2022

As incredible as Scheffler's comeback win was, it was far from unique at TPC Scottsdale.

The 2010 winner, Hunter Mahan had sat tied for 54th at halfway, Brooks Koepka was matched at a high of 320.0319/1 in 2015 when he trailed by seven at halfway, the 2020 winner, Webb Simpson, was matched at 250.0249/1 after he'd sat in a tie for 66th and ten off the lead after the opening round and when Koepka won the title for a second time last year he was matched at a high of 180.0179/1.

A slow start can most definitely be overcome and poor Theegala was always up against it given the stats.

We've now seen just two 54-hole leaders go on to win in the last 13 years and both were clear of the field with a round to go. Rickie Fowler led by four in 2019 and Phil Mickelson was six in front before securing his third title in 2013.

Over on the DP World Tour, Ryan Fox opened the Ras al Khaimah Classic with a nine-under-par 63 and he was never headed after that, winning wire-to wire to claim his second DP World Tour title.

It wasn't all plain sailing though. Having led by six at the start of the day, he missed a tiny par putt on the par three third and his price drifted right out to even money briefly as it looked like nerves might get the better of him.

Matt Cooper's each-way fancy, Pablo Larrazabal, got to within a couple of strokes of Fox with a birdie at the par three 11th and he was matched at a low of 3.814/5 but the New Zealander's holed a 44 foot birdie putt on the 12th to go three clear again and Pablo finished poorly to end the week in a tie for third.

Matched at a high of 65.064/1, the 35-year-old New Zealander had missed the cut the week before around the same course in the Ras al Khaimah Championship after a pair of 71s so he came in under the radar and his vast improvement in form was, to some extent, down to a putting tip from fellow pro, Shaun Norris.

This was the fifth time since the pandemic began that the DP World Tour have played two consecutive events at the same course and Fox is the second to win having missed the cut the week before. Daniel Van Tonder won the Kenya Savannah Classic a week after missing the cut in the Kenya Open.

And the very impressive winner of the Ras al Khaimah Championship, Nicolai Hojgaard, missed the cut last week, demonstrating just how fickle form can be.

The Indian Open has been cancelled due to covid so there's no DP World Tour action this week but we're in for a treat on the PGA Tour with the Genesis Invitational at Riviera and I'll be back later today or tomorrow with my preview.

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