2024 WM Phoenix Open PrizePicks Thursday: First-Round Plays for Adam Hadwin, 2 More
(Photo by Douglas Stringer/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images). Pictured: Adam Hadwin.
Here's everything you need to know about the 2024 WM Phoenix Open PrizePicks for Thursday — our first-round plays for this week's PGA Tour event.
With the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in the rearview mirror, we now look forward to this week's WM Phoenix Open. The Stadium Course at TPC Scottsdale will once again host this tournament, which it has done annually since 1987.
Designed by Tom Weiskopf, the Stadium Course is a par-71, 7,261-yard track that rewards strong approach players and putters.
Below, I give out my 2024 WM Phoenix Open PrizePicks for Thursday.
2024 WM Phoenix Open PrizePicks Thursday Plays
Adam Hadwin: Less Than 69.5 Strokes
Adam Hadwin thrives at this desert course, making each of his past eight cuts here and posting a top-10 finish last year. Hadwin shot a 66 in each of the first two rounds en route to that T10 finish and has now shot 69 or lower in six of his past nine rounds at TPC Scottsdale.
The Stadium Course at TPC Scottsdale is pretty straightforward: hit the greens and make your putts. Most of the approach shots here occur from 150-175 yards out (23.6% of the approach distribution), which bodes well for Hadwin considering he ranks in the top 40 on TOUR both this season and last in GIR% from that distance.
Hadwin is in good form with a T39 finish at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and a T6 finish at The American Express. He shot 69 or lower in five of those seven rounds.
Christiaan Bezuidenhout: Less Than 70 Strokes
Christiaan Bezuidenhout is another guy in tremendous form, with three top-20 finishes over his past five Tour events. Bezuidenhout also spent some of his winter over in Europe, securing three top-17 finishes over three events.
I believe this strong stretch of golf will continue at TPC Scottsdale, which is a Weiskopf design. I mention this fact because Bezuidenhout finished T23 at last year's AT&T Byron Nelson, a tournament that was contested at TPC Craig Ranch, another Weiskopf design.
Bezuidenhout has shot a 70 or lower in 18-of-21 rounds between the six events he has played this season, both on Tour and over in Europe. That trend is too large to ignore, despite the fact that Bezuidenhout struggled in his first professional appearance at TPC Scottsdale last season, which is why this number is so high.
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Adam Scott: Less Than 70 Strokes
I wrote an article this week about how it is worth taking a flyer on Adam Scott to be the leader after the first round Thursday. And if I like him to contend, then I obviously think he will shoot 70 or lower. Like Bezuidenhout, Scott also stayed busy over the offseason on the DP World Tour with three top-seven finishes across three events.
This will bode well for Scott, who has also thrived recently with his putter after gaining strokes on the greens in 11 of his last 15 events with data. Scott gained over six strokes putting in his last DP World Tour start two weeks ago, which is elite.
Scott also finished T8 at last year's AT&T Byron Nelson, which was contested at TPC Craig Ranch, another venue designed by Weiskopf. He shot lower than 70 in three of those four rounds and also shot 70 or lower in three of his four rounds at the 2022 WM Phoenix Open, including a 68 in the opening round.
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