SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Conducting the final act of his Friday masterpiece, Jon Rahm stood in a bunker beneath the ninth green. From his predicament, Rahm was short-sided, needing to float a shot with just enough touch to give himself a makeable par putt. Eight feet would have been good. Five feet would have been great. Instead, Rahm rolled the ball to 15 inches. When he tapped in, he raised his putter to a hollering crowd, drawing the type of cheers that come when you enter the weekend at 8 under.
Conducting the final act of his Friday masterpiece, Scottie Scheffler looked down over that same green, two groups and 30 minutes later. From his perch on the right side of the fairway, he had 160 yards to the hole. No problem. Scheffler stopped his ball on a dime, three feet short of the hole. From there, his seventh birdie of a bogey-free day was a formality. His weekend will be begin at 10 under.
Such was the story of Friday afternoon at TPC Scottsdale.
For 18 holes, Rahm did everything he could to separate himself from the WM Phoenix Open’s expected contenders. Afterward, he openly admitted, “I played really good.”
Jon Rahm reacts as the gallery roars after making his birdie putt on the 16th hole during the second round of the 2023 WM Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale. (Photo: Rob Schumacher-Arizona Republic)
And he did. But Scheffler was better. During one stretch in the middle of his round, Rahm played nine holes at 6 under. It should have been enough to build some cushion. Instead, there Scheffler was, birdying four straight.
“We have 18 of the top 20 players in the world (in the field),” Rahm said. “You can expect a few of us to be doing that.”
So now, entering the weekend, Scheffler (10 under) and Rahm (8 under) sit atop the leaderboard. Their betting odds are +175 and +300 to win. Only Xander Schauffele is closer than +1400.
A repeat of last year, when the then-unknown Sahith Theegala came out of obscurity to take the 54-hole lead, seems improbable. Yes, Scheffler emerged in the end for this first PGA Tour win, but he did so amid a crowded and murky leaderboard. This year is set up for a two-man battle. Mano a mano.
“That would be a lot of fun,” Scheffler said. “It looks like right now we’re 1 and 2 but we’ll see how things shake out.”
That it happens to be between two of the best players in the world is no accident. The Phoenix Open is one of 17 designated events in the PGA Tour’s new schedule. The top 20 players on tour…
..
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Golfweek…