Golf

Saudi International and Phoenix Open: Tee times, tips and TV details

The famous 16th hole at TPC Scottsdale will look quite a bit different this year

Dustin Johnson watched by his coach Claude Harmon III during the pro-am event prior to the Saudi International at Royal Greens Golf and Country Club in King Abdullah Economic City, Saudi Arabia. Photo: Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images

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Philip Reid
Wed Feb 3 2021 - 16:35

Saudi International

Purse: €2.9 million (€450,000 to the winner)

Where: King Abdullah Economic City, Saudi Arabia

The course: Royal Greens G&CC (7,010 yards, Par 70) was a project managed by European Golf Design and has hosted the tournament since 2019. Inspired by the surrounding desert landscape, a number of wadi – dried out streams – meander through the course and link the four saltwater lakes. The Par 3 16th signature hole is framed by the Red Sea, while the toughest hole traditionally is the Par 4 sixth.

The field: Money talks, not so much the prize fund but rather the generous appearance fees on the table which has attracted world number one Dustin Johnson, US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau, last week's Farmers Insurance Open winner Patrick Reed and Tony Finau away from the PGA Tour for a week resulting in a strong field that will have 54 world ranking points for the winner.

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Quote-unquote: "I've always been really good at blocking out noise and focusing on what's at hand. I think that's what's amazing about golfers in this day and age, as well as the greats of the game, is that to be really good at golf, you have to be mentally strong" – Patrick Reed.

Irish in the field: Shane Lowry, Graeme McDowell, Paul Dunne and Cormac Sharvin make up the quartet of Irish players competing.

Betting: Hardly a surprise to find Dustin Johnson – winner in 2019, runner-up in 2020 – heading the market at 5/1. In terms of value, South African Brandon Stone is something of a desert fox (runner-up in Dubai last week and in Oman last year) and is worth an each-way look at 80/1.

On TV: Live on Sky Sports (from 8am).

Phoenix Open

Purse: €6 million (€1.1m to the winner)

Where: Phoenix, Arizona, USA

The course: TPC Scottsdale (7,261 yards Par 71) designed by Tom Weiskopf and Jay Morrish is famous for the Par 3 16th hole, although the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic has reduced the scale of the enclosed "coliseum" for this year's event. Normally upwards of 200,000 fans a day attend the tournament; and, while most events have been played behind closed doors since the pandemic hit, an estimated 5,000 a day will be attending this year with 2,000 allowed around the 16th at one time.

The field: Despite the exodus of some players to Saudi Arabi, the tournament features an extremely strong field with five from the world's top-10 in action – Jon Rahm, Justin Thomas, Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele and Webb Simpson.

Quote-unquote: "If you really have control of your ball you can go around here with very minimal mistakes and make a lot of birdies; but, at the same time, it is a place that, if you're not playing well, it can expose you" – Justin Thomas.

Irish in the field: Rory McIlroy is in a group with Daniel Berger and Xander Schauffele (3pm Irish time, 10th tee); Pádraig Harrington is in a group with Steve Stricker and Jerry Kelly (7pm Irish time, 1st tee).

Betting: Xander Schauffele hasn't won this tournament yet but he has never featured outside the top-20 and looks good value at 10/1. Will Zalatoris is trending in the right direction and looks well priced at 35/1 while Carlos Ortiz, a winner in Texas last season, will aim to bounce back from his final round collapse in the Farmers Insurance with another strong desert showing and looks a good each way shout at 70/1.

On TV: Live on Sky Sports from 8pm, featured groups from 2.30pm.