Two time defending champion: Hideki Matsuyama

Matsuyama won in a 4 hole playoff over Rickie Fowler 2 years ago and another 4 hole playoff last year over Webb Simpson.

Last week’s winner: Jason Day at the Farmers Insurance Open. Day defeated Sweden’s Alex Noren in a 6 hole playoff that Day won on Monday morning on the par 5 18th. Noren went first on their respective second shots and hit a 3 wood that caught the bank and ran back down the incline into the water. Day, who hit his drive off the fairway, laid up and knocked a lob wedge from 60 yards to a foot and a half. Day tapped in for birdie and Noren finished with a bogey. It was Day’s first victory on tour since the 2016 Players Championship. He also won the Farmers in 2015 in a four man playoff.

The controversy of the tournament occurred on Sunday on the 18th hole when, in the final group, J.B. Holmes took 4 minutes and 10 seconds to hit his second shot. He was 2 shots back and needed an eagle to tie for the lead and get into a playoff. With the wind gusting at 20-30, he took forever to decide whether to go for it or not. The logical move was to go for it. Everybody in the crowd and watching at home, were expecting that, and that he was trying to decide which club to use to carry the water and give himself an eagle putt. But Holmes kept waffling, and then hit a wedge to leave himself a wedge for his third shot. He said in an interview yesterday with the Golf Channel that he thought his best chance with the wind howling was to lay up and try to hole a wedge. But it was totally unacceptable. The PGA has no ruling on officials notifying a player in the last group that he should hit, which is also unacceptable. It was taxing and could have ruined the tournament if not for a terrific playoff. There should be a new rule installed by the PGA on this. This was a mess and totally inexcusable by Holmes. I wish he could have been fined for it. He deserved it. 

This week

Waste Management Phoenix Open

Weather

Perfect, 80-81 every day, wind 5-7 MPH

TV

Thursday-Friday, Golf Channel, 2-6 PM CT

Saturday, Golf Channel, 1-2:45 PM CT, CBS 3-6 PM CT

 Sunday, GC, 12-1:45 PM CT, CBS: 2-5 PM CT.

Key hole

The 16th- The players call it the Greatest Show on Turf. 20,000 people line this fully enclosed stadium hole and cheer mightily for good shots and boo heavily for bad shots. The par 3 can play from 115 to 164 yards and features 3 bunkers around the green. It’s kind of ironic that this hole and tournament are played on Super Bowl Sunday as it’s an excellent build up to the electricity of the Super Bowl that follows. It’s a must see hole on Sunday with that kind of atmosphere and the excitement leading up to Super Bowl LII this year.

Winner

I’m going with the 29 year old from Murrieta, California by way of Oklahoma State. He’s a 4 time winner on tour, Including a 2015 Players Championship. He lost out to Matsuyama 2 years ago in a playoff, and finished tied for 4th last year shooting a final round 65. He’s already captured a victory this season at the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas in late November-early December. I like this guy to turn the tables on Matsuyama this year and defeat him in a playoff. Matsuyama will play well, and Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth are in the field, so that makes it pretty riveting as well. I also like this guy to win a major, quite possibly this season. He can gag at times, but he’s also pretty clutch at other times. Like him to be clutch this weekend, with his massive driving and trustable putting. 

Rickie Fowler

Sleeper

Harris English