Waste Management Phoenix Open: Power ranking the top 10

The biggest party in golf, the 16th at TPC Scottsdale, is ready to host the PGA Tour at this week’s Waste Management Phoenix Open.

The West Coast swing continues to gain steam this week in the season’s first stop in Arizona. We’ve got the raucous 16th hole extravaganza with a party atmosphere that spills out into the rest of the property.

For hardcore golf fans, there’s a lot to go wild about as far as the field goes.

The likes of Jon Rahm, Phil Mickelson and Justin Thomas will all be in town ready to carve up the bomber’s paradise that is TPC Scottsdale.

TPC Scottsdale has hosted since 1987, so there’s plenty of course history to work with. No, Phil hasn’t played in every playing at this venue, but he’s damn near close.

As mentioned before, this course tends to favor big hitters. Though only a par 71 at 7,266 yards, the par-4 17th is reachable and there’s some room to disperse the ball so long as you avoid the perils lurking in the surrounding desert. Plenty of sand and hazards though keep this tournament near the middle of the pack on the PGA Tour in terms of difficulty.

The Bermuda greens generally roll on the slower side and aren’t overly undulating.

Winning score tends to be in the mid-teens under par with anything in double digits come Sunday a successful week by most accounts.

Some useful stats this week are strokes gained approach, strokes gained on Bermuda greens and par-5 scoring. Eagles are possible at each of three par-5s.

The European Tour’s newly minted Saudi International has stolen some talent that could be in Phoenix (i.e. Patrick Reed, Bryson DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Justin Rose), but there’s still plenty to look for at the Waste Management Phoenix Open.

Crack open a cold one in prep for this week’s golfapalooza and check out 10 players who can cash the big check this week.