Last week at the WM Phoenix Open, my picks were a big swing and miss. Although it is the nature of this volatile game, the process could not foresee the sudden return to elite form by Scottie Scheffler and Justin Thomas.
Sungjae Im was the strongest of the picks but simply didn’t have enough steam to catch Scottie. Collin Morikawa looked abysmal, completely engulfed by the pressure of nearly a million rowdy fans. The model favorite, Tom Kim, played well for a good while. He did not, however, convert on enough birdies to hang close on the weekend.
From a raucous open format, we move to another PGA Tour staple invitational event. The Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country club in Pacific Palisades, Calif., will feature many of the same elite-level golfers as the elevated event last week but in a more condensed 132-player field. The Genesis is the second-consecutive “elevated” event and sports a hefty $20 million purse. The event has benefitted the Tiger Woods Foundation for many years now, but the golf icon has yet to win this tournament. Tiger announced he will compete this week, throwing the golf community back into a frenzied excitement.
The par-71 track stretches to a modest 7,300 yards and favors players who can combine great tee shots with clutch putting. My statistical model will be weighted to address the strengths of past winners, along with those in the field with the strongest recent form.