by The three criteria I’ve settled on for evaluating the shot value of a professional golf venue are as follows:
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Small misses meet a penalty; wide misses meet a significantly steeper penalty
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Players must hit a variety of shot types
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Players must control the ball on the ground
Augusta National is the rare professional golf venue that satisfies all three criteria. Many venues fail to meet any of the three. Muirfield Village, one of my favorite tests on the PGA Tour, only truly meets the first piece of criteria. It just happens to satisfy it exceptionally well.
TPC Scottsdale is a strong pro golf venue for many reasons. From a shot value perspective, the golf course checks the first box, though nowhere near to the extent that Augusta National or Muirfield Village does. But the best characteristic of TPC Scottsdale is how well it satisfies the third criteria: the ground is a legitimate factor. With reliably firm conditions, large, fast greens, and short rough that bleeds into desert areas, the golf ball rolls on this golf course. Thick rough doesn’t interrupt the action.
Many holes at TPC Scottsdale illustrate how this golf course satisfies the first and third criteria, but there may not be a better example than the par-5 15th hole.
The fairway is nearly 40 yards wide at the landing area, yet the hole demands accuracy off the tee – Exhibit Z that width and a premium on accuracy are not opposing forces. Errant drives down the left side of No. 15 will bound into the water hazard lining the left side of the hole. If you bail out right, you’ll either be forced to lay up or attempt a tricky shot from an awkward angle into a green that penalizes short-sided misses. Ask Scottie Scheffler – who doesn’t find penalty areas too often – how comfortable an aggressive approach shot from the right rough is.
Like many holes at TPC Scottsdale, the 15th offers both a scorable opportunity and imposes consequences on a miss, all while providing width and featuring the ground as an important variable. In yesterday’s final round, the field recorded two eagles, 40 birdies, 25 pars, six bogeys, and four double bogeys. It’s an exciting, dynamic golf hole – one of many on this golf course.
For as much (deserved) flack as the PGA Tour takes for its current roster of venues, TPC Scottsdale combines multiple ingredients – a high-quality golf course, predictably cooperative weather, a unique identity, and proximity to a major city – into a recipe that rarely fails to deliver a successful event. Tournament organizers had a vision for what this tournament could be and executed that vision successfully. The WM Phoenix Open has carved out valuable real estate as one of the Tour’s most popular spectacles, which can be appreciated even if some of the drunken debauchery isn’t quite one’s speed.
On the results front, Thomas Detry entered the final round with a five-shot lead and successfully captured his first win on Tour, punctuated by an outstanding approach into the 16th that effectively ended the tournament. A group of chasers nipped at his heels throughout Sunday, but Detry closed with four consecutive birdies to win by seven, tying the low round of the day with a 6-under 65.
With the win, Detry not only quieted the narrative that he cannot perform under pressure, but he also became the first Belgian to win on the PGA Tour. The 32-year-old has played solidly over the past couple of years, including top-20 finishes in three straight major championship appearances. Detry’s victory is also the third win by a European through six PGA Tour events in 2025. Positive signs for Team Europe’s chances at Bethpage!
In other results, Jordan Spieth ranked second in the field in Strokes Gained: Approach en route to a T-4 finish, his first top five since The Sentry in January of 2024. Also shoutout to Will Chandler for Monday qualifying into the WM Phoenix Open and finishing T-6 in the tournament, a factoid that Ryan French will never forget.
Golf but Darker
Adrian Meronk won the LIV Golf season opener under the lights in Riyadh, where 12,000 people watched the first round on FS2. According to Twitter, millions more watched via the LIV Golf app globally. Perhaps that’s true, perhaps it isn’t. I hope it is true. All of this additional, publicly-concealed demand would have wonderful implications for the future of golf.
“This. League. Isn’t. Going. Anywhere.”
Heard! All of the evidence suggests this league isn’t going anywhere. Is there evidence that people are into it though?
This piece originally appeared in the Fried Egg Golf newsletter. Subscribe for free and receive golf news and insight every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
