Phoenix (Rob Bolton/PGA Tour/Golfbeat News) – If you’re not focusing on the possibilities deep on the board of outrights early in the week, then you’re off to a fruitless 2024, for yet another longshot captured victory on the PGA TOUR. This time it was Nick Taylor at the WM Phoenix Open. He was +10000 pre-tournament to prevail at BetMGM.
Oh, and naturally, the outcome required a playoff on the Stadium Course at TPC Scottsdale as Taylor defeated Charley Hoffman (+30000) with a birdie conversion from 9½ feet on the second hole of sudden death. Only the par-4 18th hole was used in the playoff. The duo halved birdies the first time through and Taylor had birdied it on the last hole of regulation to force overtime. It was the sixth sudden-death playoff since 2016, which is the same year as Hoffman’s most recent of four PGA TOUR wins (Valero Texas Open).
Taylor pockets 500 FedExCup points and $1,584,000 as he matches Hoffman in career victories. It’s the native of British Columbia’s first TOUR title since his epic playoff win at the RBC Canadian Open in 2023. He was +6600 to end the drought of a Canuck claiming the national open.