Tournament Preview: The 2013 Waste Management Phoenix Open

TPC Scottsdale by Jason Helle

This week TPC Scottsdale will play host to the 2013 Waste Management Phoenix Open.  Over the years the Stadium Course has been the home of some incredible PGA TOUR golf moments.  From Tiger Woods’ hole-in-one on the 16^th hole in 1997 to Andrew Magee’s ace on the par-4 17^th; history has certainly been made on this track.  Let’s also not forget the huge boulder that spectators helped move for Tiger in 1999 in order for him to play his next shot.  But this week, Tiger will be taking a rest after capturing his 75^th PGA TOUR win at Torrey Pines on Monday.

Last year, Kyle Stanley rebounded nicely after his disappointing collapse at Torrey Pines in 2012 which opened the door for Brandt Snedeker to claim victory and begin his FedEx Cup championship season.   That year Stanley fought off Spencer Levin with a huge comeback to win on the 72^nd hole of the match played at TPC Scottsdale.

The course plays a par-71 and is arguably one of the easier courses on the PGA TOUR, but it does present its challenges.  Accuracy off the tee box will play a huge factor this week and the greens at TPC Scottsdale are ranked inside the top 20 most challenging on TOUR in proximity to the hole.

Weather is supposed to be dry and in the mid 70’s.  The forecast calls for plenty of sun and calm winds in Arizona this week, a big change from the fog and rain that threatened the Farmers Insurance Open last week.

Want to hear more about Golficity’s predictions on who will win the Waste Management Phoenix Open?  Just visit our Fantasy Golf Predictions page to get the inside scoop about this exciting event.

Golficity’s Pick:  Jason Dufner