x
Skip to main content
Golf Logo
InsideGolf Join Now  / Log In
On raucous, delightful PGA Tour weekend, a new champion emerged
SHARE
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share by Email
Golf Logo
  • News
    • Latest
      • News
      • Features
      • Shows
      • PGA Tour Schedule
    • Series
      • Tour Confidential
      • Monday Finish
      • Hot Mic
      • Rogers Report
    • Shows
      • The Scoop
      • Subpar
      • Seen & Heard
  • Instruction
    • Game Improvement
      • Driving
      • Approach Shots
      • Bunker Shots
      • Short Game
      • Putting
      • Rules
      • Fitness
    • Series
      • Top 100 Teachers
      • Rules Guy
      • The Etiquetteist
    • Shows
      • Warming Up
      • Play Smart
      • Short Game Chef
      • Pros Teaching Joes
  • Gear
    • Clubs
      • Drivers
      • Irons
      • Hybrids
      • Fairway Woods
      • Wedges
      • Putters
    • Other Gear
      • Balls
      • Shoes
      • Apparel
      • Golf Accessories
    • Series
      • ClubTest
      • Winner’s Bag
    • Shows
      • Fully Equipped
  • Travel & Lifestyle
    • Travel
      • Course Finder
      • Courses
      • Resorts
    • Lifestyle
      • Accessories
      • Celebrities
      • Food
      • Style
      • Betting Advice
    • Shows
      • Super Secrets
      • Destination Golf
  • Shop
    • Shop
      • Clubs
      • Shafts
      • Training Aids
      • Balls
      • Bags
      • Technology
      • Apparel
      • Accessories
      • Our Picks
      • Shop All
    • Collections
      • The GOLF Collection
      • The Birdie Juice Collection
      • The Fully Equipped Collection
      • Shop All
  • Newsletters
    • Sign Up for GOLF’s Newsletters
      • Hot Mic
      • Monday Finish
      • Play Smart
      • Our Picks
      • Top Stories
      • Sign Up for All
  • News
    • Latest News
    • Features
    • Shows
    • PGA Tour Schedule
  • Instruction
    • All Instruction
    • Driving
    • Approach Shots
    • Bunker Shots
    • Short Game
    • Putting
    • Rules
    • Fitness
  • Gear
    • All Gear
    • Drivers
    • Irons
    • Hybrids
    • Fairway Woods
    • Wedges
    • Putters
    • Balls
    • Shoes
    • Apparel
    • Golf Accessories
  • Travel & Lifestyle
    • All Travel
    • All Lifestyle
    • Course Finder
    • Courses
    • Resorts
    • Accessories
    • Celebrities
    • Food
    • Style
    • Betting Advice
  • Series
    • Tour Confidential
    • Monday Finish
    • Hot Mic
    • Rogers Report
    • Rules Guy
    • The Etiquetteist
    • ClubTest
    • Winner’s Bag
  • Shows
    • The Scoop
    • Subpar
    • Seen & Heard
    • Warming Up
    • Play Smart
    • Short Game Chef
    • Pros Teaching Joes
    • Fully Equipped
    • Super Secrets
    • Destination Golf
  • Shop
    • Clubs
    • Shafts
    • Training Aids
    • Balls
    • Bags
    • Technology
    • Apparel
    • Accessories
    • The GOLF Collection
    • The Birdie Juice Collection
    • The Fully Equipped Collection
  • Newsletters
    • Hot Mic
    • Monday Finish
    • Play Smart
    • Top Stories
    • Our Picks
    • Sign Up for All
InsideGolf Join Now  / Log In
InsideGolf

Over $140 of value - Just $39.99

InsideGOLF
News

On raucous, delightful PGA Tour weekend, a new champion emerged

By: Dylan Dethier
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Follow on Instagram
February 13, 2022
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share by Email
Scottie Scheffler won the 2022 WM Phoenix Open.

Scottie Scheffler won his first PGA Tour event at the WM Phoenix Open.

Getty Images

It felt like a particularly important week for the PGA Tour.

Last week, Phil Mickelson came after the Tour, citing its “obnoxious greed,” alleging restrictive media rights and generally portraying the folks in Ponte Vedra as the Evil Empire. This week, Charley Hoffman turned a gripe with the Rules of Golf into an all-out tirade against the Tour and citing the incident as evidence why the Tour might cease to exist. All of this comes in the context of massive reported sums offered to high-profile pros to jump ship to a new breakaway tour.

In other words, it was high time for the PGA Tour to showcase its best product. It sure did; the WM Phoenix Open was a wild, wonderful week filled with aces, beer showers and hundreds of thousands of delighted fans. Sunday presented a host of U.S. Ryder Cuppers doing battle with 54-hole leader Sahith Theegala, making just his 11th PGA Tour start. But in the end, after a dramatic final round and three playoff holes, it was a different first-time winner, Scottie Scheffler, who took home the title and cemented himself among the top tier of Tour pros.

Patrick Cantlay began Sunday’s final round in third place, two shots behind Theegala. These days, Cantlay seems to contend every time he tees it up; he’s finished 4, 9, T4 in his only three starts since last year’s Tour Championship and entered Sunday as the No. 4 player in the world. He made birdies at No. 4 and No. 6 to kick off his final round.

Scheffler was in the final group alongside Theegala and defending champion Brooks Koepka. His day started hot, too, with birdies at No. 2 and No. 3. But he stalled with bogeys at 5, 7 and 8 and lost touch with the leaders — temporarily.

Up ahead was pure mayhem. Carlos Ortiz made an ace at No. 16, the second consecutive day a player had made a hole-in-one on the game’s wildest stage. A few groups later Harry Higgs and Joel Dahmen put on a show, revealing a whole bunch of extra skin after draining par putts to stay just outside the top 50.

News
Harry Higgs and Joel Dahmen brought a different look to the 16th hole.
Shirtless PGA Tour pros?! Harry Higgs, Joel Dahmen go wild at 16
By: Dylan Dethier

Alongside Cantlay was good friend and frequent sparring partner Xander Schauffele, who also began the day in T3 at 12 under par. Koepka staying in the mix all day. Justin Thomas rallied, too, to get to the edge of contention. The leaderboard was a who’s-who of American contenders.

In the end, the tournament’s first 70 holes served as the preamble to a whirlwind final two…and then some. As viewers geared up to toggle from golf to the Super Bowl, the final few contenders played the final few holes at TPC Scottsdale.

Koepka was in the mix until his par putt slid by at the par-3 16th, though he birdied 17 and 18 to salvage a final-round 69.

Schauffele’s eagle try finished a half-roll short at No. 17 and his birdie try at the 18th slid just past the hole, leaving him at 15 under, too.

Theegala was very much in the mix until his tee shot at 17, when he hit 2-hybrid on an aggressive line only to watch it take an unfortunate bounce left off the left edge of the green and into the water. He made bogey and parred No. 18 to post 15 under.

An emotional @SRTheegala is consoled by mom and dad after coming up 1 shot short of a playoff @WMPhoenixOpen.

The 24-year-old earned countless new fans this week. pic.twitter.com/tq5Q2YsFCy

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) February 13, 2022

All three — Koepke, Schauffele and Theegala — finished T3 at 15 under. Cantlay and Scheffler each stuck their approach shots at No. 18. Their putts each slid by the hole. One last bit of theater awaited: A playoff.

Both players made par on their first playoff hole. They made par on their second hole. The Rams drove down the field and America’s attention shifted; the WMPO is the Super Bowl’s appetizer, not its competition.

On the third playoff hole Scheffler found the fairway bunker while Cantlay striped one down the center of the fairway. Advantage, Cantlay. He hit his wedge shot closer than Scheffler’s approach, too; Cantlay had 13 feet for birdie while Scheffler had 26.

But then, a sudden reversal. Scheffler rolled in his putt for birdie, punctuating the putt with an emphatic celebration. Cantlay followed but his try stayed just too high. Scheffler was a PGA Tour champion.

Scottie takes it in Scottsdale! 🗣 pic.twitter.com/fhkEjrb13N

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) February 14, 2022

Scheffler was emotional; after Cantlay’s putt slid by he shared a long embrace with his wife Meredith, fielded questions from Amanda Balionis and headed off to lift the trophy. He grinned his way through interviews, knowing his career had changed for the better, forever.

The PGA Tour must have been similarly pleased; this was a win for the Tour, too, with one of its most promising young stars ascending inside the top 10 in the world on a thrilling, emotional weekend.

With any luck Scheffler would get the celebration going within the hour — and have something extra to enjoy as he took in the Super Bowl’s second half.

Latest In News

7 hours ago

After an emphatic PGA, Scottie Scheffler told the world his secret

8 hours ago

Even when there was doubt, PGA champ Scottie Scheffler had none

8 hours ago

Jon Rahm lost the PGA Championship, but it didn't look that way from up close

8 hours ago

Jon Rahm ‘embarrassed’ by PGA collapse. Charles Barkley’s wisdom brought solace

Dylan Dethier

Dylan Dethier

Golf.com Editor

Dylan Dethier is a senior writer for GOLF Magazine/GOLF.com. The Williamstown, Mass. native joined GOLF in 2017 after two years scuffling on the mini-tours. Dethier is a graduate of Williams College, where he majored in English, and he’s the author of 18 in America, which details the year he spent as an 18-year-old living from his car and playing a round of golf in every state.

  • Author Twitter Account
  • Author Instagram Account

Related Articles

News
xander schauffele patrick cantlay presidents cup

Have Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay become the U.S.'s new dominant duo?

By: James Colgan
Instruction
scottie scheffler and sam burns

In odd rules twist, this U.S. player was forced to hit a putt *before* opponent’s approach

By: Alan Bastable
News
Patrick Cantlay at the Presidents Cup at Quail Hollow.

PGA Tour or LIV? Patrick Cantlay doesn't think it's that simple

By: Dylan Dethier
News
scottie scheffler and sam burns

Why this budding bromance could be formidable Presidents Cup pairing

By: Zephyr Melton
News
Signage displays images of the U.S. and International Teams prior to the 2022 Presidents Cup at Quail Hollow Country Club on September 19, 2022 in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Who's playing in the Presidents Cup? Meet the U.S. and International teams

By: Jack Hirsh
News
Sergio Garcia of Spain looks on from under their umbrella on the 4th hole during Day One of the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth Golf Club on September 08, 2022 in Virginia Water, England.

Sergio Garcia spotted at Alabama-Texas after BMW PGA WD

By: Jack Hirsh
News
scottie scheffler on set of College Gameday

Scottie Scheffler named PGA Tour Player of Year — on College GameDay

By: Zephyr Melton
Gear
Rory McIlroy / Scottie Scheffler

Rory McIlroy vs. Scottie Scheffler: a tale of 2 wildly different club setups in the 2022 PGA Tour season

By: Ryan Barath
News
rory mcilroy and scott scheffler sr

This touching Rory McIlroy gesture put a bow on his storybook win

By: Alan Bastable
Sign up for GOLF's Newsletters
Get the latest news, the hottest instruction tips, new product releases, golf media insider reports and more delivered directly to your inbox. Choose your favorites now.
Sign Up
Categories
  • News
  • Instruction
  • Gear
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
Services
  • Masthead
  • GOLF Media Kit
  • GOLF Magazine Customer Service
  • TERMS OF SERVICE
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • Opt-out of Ads/Sharing
  • Your Privacy Choices
Social
  • facebook
  • x
  • instagram
  • youtube
Membership
InsideGOLF Logo
More than $140 Value for JUST $39.99

INCLUDES 12 SRIXON Z-STAR XV GOLF BALLS, 1 YR OF GOLF MAGAZINE, $20 FAIRWAY JOCKEY CREDIT - AND MUCH MORE!

LEARN MORE

© 2025 EB Golf Media LLC. An 8AM Golf Affiliated Brand. All Rights Reserved. All of our market picks are independently selected and curated by the editorial team. If you buy a linked product, GOLF.COM may earn a fee. Pricing may vary.

Go to mobile version