Poor weather has been the main storyline for the second consecutive week as all players who made the cut have failed to get through 54 holes as of Saturday night.
If we are being honest, this had to have been one of the worst-case scenarios for the PGA Tour since we've now received back-to-back weeks of flawed Sunday action. The debacle at Pebble Beach put the PGA Tour in a precarious position against LIV because it pushed some fans into watching the rival league. This week, the end of the tournament will go up against the biggest sporting event on the planet — Super Bowl 58. That's certainly not ideal for a sport in desperate need of good PR after all its struggles over the past year.
Unfortunately, this week's weather concerns have presented a relatively quiet betting card because there isn't much to discuss as books are shying away from action.
Here is a quick update if you are curious about where my card sits.
If you haven't already, you can find me on Twitter (@TeeOffSports). There, I provide a link to my pre-tournament model, a powerful and interactive data spreadsheet that allows user input to create custom golf rankings. That sheet is released every Monday, so be sure to check it out and construct your own numbers from my database of information.
2024 Waste Management Phoenix Open
Strokes Gained: Off The Tee
Oh, what could have been from Corey Conners. My hope entering the week was that the softer conditions would increase his GIR rate to the point where his short-game struggles wouldn't produce the results that they did, but no player inside the top 28 of the leaderboard has lost more shots to the field than Conners with his short game.
Naturally, there is one player who is tied with the Canadian when we dive into another of our more significant exposures — Jhonattan Vegas. What can I say? My guys don't like to do anything but ball-strike.
Strokes Gained: Approach
Davis Thompson will have to escape hole 11 with nothing worse than a bogey when play starts back up again on Sunday. However, it comes down to what I said pre-event. Only Scottie Scheffler and Justin Thomas projected better than Thompson on the birdie holes this week. The upside is there, but his safety will naturally come from how he handles the more challenging locations. Assuming he drops to eight-under early, I wouldn't count him out. Very few can get as hot.
Strokes Gained: Around The Green
Sometimes, you love a course, like in the case of Hideki Matsuyama. Other times, you are Jordan Spieth and have magic beans that you use 24/7. We all find success in different ways.
Strokes Gained: Putting
Is there such a thing as being disappointed after gaining 6.44 shots to the field through 2.5 rounds? Maybe this is just numbers returning closer to their baseline projection, but Nick Taylor's 7.2 shots earned in round one was the fifth-best putting round in 20 years.
