Nick Taylor Comes Up Clutch in Win at WM Phoenix Open | The Sunday Swing

The Sunday Swing
February 12th, 2023

Welcome back to the Sunday Swing presented by 2nd Swing Golf. This week the PGA Tour was in Scottsdale, Arizona for one of the best stops of the season – the WM Phoenix Open. 

WM Phoenix Open - Tournament History 

The WM Phoenix Open is one of the older stops on Tour dating all the way back to 1932. This event has been played at TPC Scottsdale (Stadium Course) for 37 years now, which is the longest continuous stretch a TPC course has hosted a professional golf tournament. The tournament has also become one of the most popular amongst fans, and draws crowds of roughly 200,000 people per day. The 16th hole at TPC Scottsdale features a stadium-like atmosphere that holds upwards of 20,000 fans. Throughout the years we have seen some iconic moments including Tiger Woods’ hole-in-one at 16 in 1997, caddie races, and more recently, a beer shower as a result of Sam Ryder’s hole-in-one on Saturday in 2022. The course itself typically yields plenty of birdies due to its reachable par-5’s and fairly flat greens. The rough is also fairly forgiving, although there are plenty of native desert areas that can cause trouble if you hit it too far off line. 

The previous five champions are as follows: 

2024 - Nick Taylor (-21)
2023 - Scottie Scheffler (-19)
2022 - Scottie Scheffler ( -16)
2021 - Brooks Koepka (-19)
2020 - Webb Simpson (-17) 

The Big Swing

The tournament became an unlikely two-horse race between Charley Hoffman and Nick Taylor down the stretch on Sunday. But it was Nick Taylor who emerged victorious thanks to several clutch birdies. He was in contention in the first place largely due to a blistering first round, in which he set a new course record by firing an 11-under-par 60 to take a formidable lead over the field.

While a star-studded field chased Taylor, the bigger story was the unseasonably cold and wet conditions in the Scottsdale area all week long. Temperatures hung around the 50s most of the week, and multiple spells of rain created the softest conditions at TPC Scottsdale in recent memory. Plus, due to the chilly temperatures and morning frost, delays forced a discombobulated schedule to get all 72 holes played by Sunday.

After his first-round 60, Taylor’s momentum slowed, allowing other stars to close the gap. Scottie Scheffler, Sahith Theegala, Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, and Cameron Young all were within striking distance over the weekend. As players were finishing up their third round on Sunday and beginning play of the final round, it was Taylor and Theegala tied for the lead.

Scheffler made the first move during the final round. The 2022 and 2023 champion of the WM Phoenix Open appeared to be headed for a three-peat. He birdied four of the first five holes of his final round to take the solo lead. But a bogey on No. 7 slowed his momentum, and he soon found himself dropping out of contention.

Taylor and Theegala started their final rounds slow as well, neither making a birdie until Taylor stuck an approach from 146 yards on the par-4 sixth hole to a mere foot that seemingly kicked him into gear. He went on to birdie both No. 7 and 9 to reinforce his place in the race. Theegala, meanwhile, could not build the momentum needed, and a bogey on No. 12 effectively eliminated him.

Once Scheffler cooled off, it was Hoffman who suddenly heated up. The longtime WM ambassador had shot a 64 to get himself into the mix, and then began the final round making birdie on four of the first 10 holes. A bogey on No. 12 acted as only a speed bump, because Hoffman followed that up with an eagle-birdie-birdie stretch on holes 13-15 to grab what was at the time a three-shot lead. He made par on the final three holes to sit in the clubhouse at 21-under-par.

Taylor trailed by three shots and was playing in the final group, so the stage was set. He had to make up three shots in the final four holes to tie Hoffman. And the Canadian did just that. He hit a wedge on the par-5 15th to three feet and kicked it in for birdie. On the raucous 16th, Taylor’s approach nestled five and a half feet from the hole, which he would convert. Then, on the final hole of regulation needing a birdie, Taylor’s approach from the rough scooted just past the hole and left him with nine and a half feet. The putt just caught the lip of the cup and fell, forcing a playoff.

Taylor and Hoffman both made birdie on the first playoff hole with clutch putts, so they went back to the tee to play the 18th a second time. Despite an excellent recovery shot from the fairway bunker, Hoffman was unable to cash in his birdie putt. Taylor, meanwhile, sank his from 11 feet, crowning him the unlikely champion.

Winner’s Bag

For his winning bag, Nick Taylor primarily uses Titleist clubs, with a couple TaylorMade options added in. For his driver, Taylor opts for the prior generation Titleist TSi3, playing it at 10 degrees. He stays with Titleist, and stays with the prior generation for his 3-wood, gaming a Titleist TSi2. For his 5-wood, he switches things up, opting for a TaylorMade SIM2 Max. Though it’s a different manufacturer, it has a similar theme to it with its high launch and forgiveness. Taylor goes back to Titleist for his hybrid, playing a TSR2 at 21 degrees, the only current generation club among his long game. For his irons, Taylor uses a combination set featuring a Titleist T200 4 iron, and then Titleist T100’s for his 5-9 irons. Moving into the wedges where Taylor rocks Titleist’s newest wedges, the Vokey SM10 for his 46 and 54 degree, and then combos those with a 58 degree Vokey WedgeWorks. Rounding out the bag with the putter, where Taylor once again switches it up to TaylorMade, where he rolls a Spider Tour Red.