Brooks Koepka Wins in the Desert
Scottsdale, AZ – Brooks Koepka (-19) won the 2021 WM Phoenix Open. After starting the day 5 strokes off the lead, Koepka shot 65 in the final round, including a chip-in for eagle on 17 that sent him two clear of the nearest chasers. With the win, Koepka earned the eighth win of his PGA Tour career at the same venue where he earned his first. After missing his last three cuts, Koepka came back in a big way.
Finishing in second one stroke behind Koepka were Kyoung-Hoon Lee and Xander Schauffele. It was the best finish of Lee’s PGA Tour career so far. Schauffele will be disappointed not to get the job done after starting the day tied for the lead. Carlos Ortiz, Steve Stricker, and Jordan Spieth finished T3 two back at -17.
There were multiple exciting storylines throughout the week but Jordan Spieth was the name on most fans’ minds. Despite still struggling with consistency off the tee, he seemed to rediscover the shot-making and short game magic that took him to the top of the game over five years ago. He shot a 61 on Saturday to hold the joint 54-hold lead. While he failed to capitalize on that momentum Sunday, he gave fans something to be hopeful for.
The WMPO always serves as a delicious appetizer to the Super Bowl and this year was no different. What is normally the wildest golf tournament of the year was more subdued this year with only 5,000 fans allowed on the grounds per day. However, it felt downright raucous compared to what viewers have become accustomed to.
Other notable performances included Andrew Putnam and Matthew NeSmith, who finished T7 at -16 but failed to get any TV time due to the heavy presence of stars at the top of the leaderboard; Scottie Scheffler, who also finished T7 after some poor recent results and a disappointing final round 70; and Rory McIlroy, who posted the low round of the day Sunday with a 64 and finished T13 at -13.
Next week, the PGA Tour heads to Pebble Beach for the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Nick Taylor is the defending champion there and will defend his title against a field that includes Patrick Cantlay, Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth, and Will Zalatoris.
Brooks Koepka What’s In The Bag
Driver: TaylorMade M5 10.5° (Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 80 TX)
3 Wood: TaylorMade M2 Tour HL 16.5° (Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 80 TX)
Irons: Nike Vapor Pro 3, Srixon ZX7 4-P (Fujikura Pro Tour Spec 95 X, True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100)
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM8 52°, 56°, Vokey SM5 TVD 60° (True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400)
Putter: Scotty Cameron T10 Select Newport 2
Dylan Thaemert
Latest posts by Dylan Thaemert (see all)
- 2023 Valspar Championship Recap - March 19, 2023
- 2023 Honda Classic Recap - February 26, 2023
- 2023 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am Recap - February 6, 2023
