SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — With the chaos that accompanies Saturday at the WM Phoenix Open, it’s often easy to make up lost ground. Just getting to the weekend puts a player in contention.
So while Sahith Theegala ran out to a lead during the second round at TPC Scottsdale and others like Patrick Cantlay kept humming along, there’s plenty of golf to be played at a tournament known for seeing wild swings in the third and final rounds.
Leading the list of those who missed the cut on Friday was World No. 3 Viktor Hovland, who looked like he might just squeeze in late Friday, but then he knocked two consecutive shots in the water. Hovland had not missed a cut in his previous five starts during this PGA season and already has a pair of victories — winning the World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba and the Hero World Challenge. He also captured the title at the DP World Tour’s Slync.io Dubai Desert Classic just two weeks ago.
The cutline is the top 65 players plus those tied at the end of that group, and the number settled early at 2 under. Here’s a look at the biggest names who didn’t make it to the weekend.
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Rickie Fowler putts on the 16th green during Round 2 of the WM Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale. Cheryl Evans-Chow-Arizona Republic
Fowler has played more rounds at TPC Scottsdale than at any other PGA Tour event, and he took a little extra time to line up a putt on his final hole during Saturday’s second round, a birdie putt that would have gotten him to 2 under. He missed. “I don’t think 1 [under] has a shot,” Fowler said near the clubhouse Friday. The former Oklahoma State star’s instincts were spot on.
Tony Finau signs autographs for fans during a practice round at the 2022 WM Phoenix Open on Tuesday. Patrick Breen-The Republic.
Although he played well on Friday, posting four birdies en route to a 68, the World No. 18 couldn’t overcome a shaky Thursday round and was subsequently sent packing. This marks a second consecutive missed cut after he struggled to reach the weekend at the Farmers Insurance Open, thanks to a second-round 77.
Daniel Berger lines up a putt on the 16th green during the pro-am prior to the 2022 WM Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale. (Photo by Rebecca Noble/Getty Images)
So much for testing out his bad back in Scottsdale’s warm weather. Daniel Berger rode a roller coaster in his opening round, and then played steady, but unspectacular golf on Friday and politely bowed out. Berger had made just two starts on the PGA Tour this season prior to Phoenix and finished in the top 20 in both. That streak is over.
Pat Perez and Jon Rahm shake hands as they talk with DJ Gregory, the 2022 PGA TOUR Courage Award winner, at the WM Phoenix Open on Tuesday. Patrick Breen-The Republic
Pat Perez didn’t play well, but he got in and out of TPC Scottsdale in style early in the week thanks to a 2009 Nissan GT-R that he told Golfweek he has almost $400,000 invested in. He drove his H1 Hummer convertible to the course on Thursday and Friday. Playing a “home game” didn’t help Perez to a fast start — he bogeyed the opening hole and followed with a double, a stretch that he never recovered from.
Charles Howell III stands on the 11th hole during the first round of the 2022 WM Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale. (Photo: Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
Before Howell made his 600th PGA Tour start he joked that he had “gray hair to prove every one of those starts.” This one certainly had to add to the gray. Howell was nearly out of this before he started — making a bogey on the fourth hole of his opening round and following with a quadruple 8 on the next hole.
Harold Varner III walks on the 18th hole during the first round of the 2022 WM Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale. (Photo: Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
Harold Varner’s heart-stopping 90-foot eagle putt on the final hole of the Saudi International seemed to indicate the former East Carolina star was on the upswing, but after knocking it in the water and taking a snowman on No. 15 during Thursday’s opening round, HV3 couldn’t recover. Varner’s victory on the Asian Tour last week was his second international title and first since the 2016 Australian Open, but he’s still seeking his first PGA Tour title.
Viktor Hovland hits his tee shot on the 16th hole during the first round of the 2022 WM Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale. (Photo: Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
The water that lines the left side of the fairway on the 15th hole and surrounds the green put an official end to Hovland’s weekend. While still flirting with the cutline, the Norwegian dunked his drive into the water, then found the drink again with his third shot. After taking an 8, Hovland couldn’t recover.
Preston Summerhays chips onto the second green during the first round of the 2022 WM Phoenix Open. (Photo: Cheryl Evans/The Arizona Republic)
It’s not surprising that an amateur missed the cut. It is, however, surprising to hear that the Arizona State freshman fell down near the bottom of the board with rounds of 75 and 73. His dad, Boyd, is a golf instructor who coaches Tony Finau, among other PGA Tour pros, and he’s been known to give Finau a good match. The youngster will be back, but his first PGA Tour start didn’t turn out exactly as he’d wished.
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