Mickelson finishes at 12 over, misses Open cut

Brooks Koepka escaped “dark places” with his win in the 2021 WM Phoenix Open, a 5-stroke final-round comeback that extended two notable trends at TPC Scottsdale. One year later, bettors are wagering against those trends. “Those dark places, a lot of tears, questioning yourself, and in dark places mentally,” Koepka said after his 1-stroke win last February, referencing an injury-riddled 19-month stretch in which he had more missed cuts (nine) than top-25 finishes (five). And when the four-time major champion arrived at The Greatest Show on Grass last year, he had zero PGA TOUR wins since July 2019 and hadn’t played a competitive round at the Stadium Course since finishing 42nd in 2017. “There was a period maybe for about two months where I just questioned whether I was ever going to be the same,” Koepka added. “Whether I was even going to be somewhat remotely the same golfer that I ever was.” Koepka became the tournament’s 14th winner in the last 16 years who didn’t finish in the top 10 the previous year and the fourth straight winner without a PGA TOUR win in the last 11 months. Now returning as the reigning champion, Koepka could buck the former trend. And the two most popular picks among the betting public could buck the latter trend. As of Tuesday, Feb. 8, Koepka has +3300 odds at BetMGM to join Hideki Matsuyama, Johnny Miller, Arnold Palmer, and Ben Hogan as the only back-to-back winners in tournament history. But he’s the only golfer whose odds have declined since Sunday night (+3000) and is receiving less than half the amount of handle as Jon Rahm and Justin Thomas. Rahm, eight months removed from his U.S. Open win, is the odds-on favorite (+750) and earning 11.3 percent of the handle. And Thomas (+1200), 10 months removed from winning THE PLAYERS, has 11.3 percent of the handle. Handle: Justin Thomas – 11.6% Jon Rahm – 11.3% Jordan Spieth – 6.7% Xander Schauffele – 6.1% Brooks Koepka – 5.5% Tickets: Jon Rahm – 6.2% Jordan Spieth – 6.1% Justin Thomas – 5.9% Brooks Koepka – 5.1% Xander Schauffele – 4.8% Neither Rahm nor Thomas finished in the top 10 last year – tied each other for 13th – but are two of only four golfers in the field with an average adjusted strokes-gained of at least +1.7 in at least 24 rounds at TPC Scottsdale. Only Matsuyama (+2.55) ranks better than Rahm (+2.19), while Thomas (+1.87) ranks fourth behind Bubba Watson (+1.9). Will Rahm or Thomas extend one trend and buck another? Or will Koepka set the stage for a rare PGA TOUR three-peat – of which there have been only eight on the PGA TOUR in the last 40 years – in 2023? You can view updated golf odds for the WM Phoenix Open winner, top American finisher, wire-to-wire winner, and more at the BetMGM sportsbook. * Visit BetMGM.com for terms and conditions. 21+ years of age or older to wager. BetMGM available in AZ, CO, DC, IA, IN, LA, MI, MS, NJ, NV, NY, PA, TN, VA, WV, or WY only. All promotions are subject to qualification and eligibility requirements. Paid in free bets. Free bets expire in 7 days from issuance. Minimum deposit required. Excludes Michigan Disassociated Persons. Please Gamble Responsibly. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-NEXT-STEP (AZ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO, DC, LA, NV, WY, VA), 1-800-270-7117 for confidential help (MI), 1-800-GAMBLER (IN, NJ, PA & WV), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA) or call (877-8-HOPENY) or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), call or text the Tennessee REDLINE: 800-889-9789 (TN) or call 1-888-777-9696 (MS). Sports betting is void where prohibited. Promotional offers not available in Nevada.

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PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – Kevin Streelman, a lifelong Chicago Bears fan, approached Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers before the start of their first round at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. “I respect the heck out of you,â€� Streelman told Rodgers, “but you’ve been beating the crap out of my Bears for 12 years.â€� On Thursday, Streelman pretty much beat the crap out of everybody who played Spyglass Hill, the toughest of the three courses in the tournament rotation. His 7-under 65 gave him a share of the lead with Beau Hossler, whose 65 came at Pebble Beach. Streelman’s amateur partner is Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald. Rodgers is partnering with Packers fans Jerry Kelly. Their group was the first off the No. 1 tee Thursday morning at Spyglass. It couldn’t have been a better day. Streelman not only went low, but he and Fitzgerald combined to go 14 under to lead the team portion by three shots. Plus, it was sunny, the pace of play was quick (by tournament standards) and the banter was light. “It’s a round I’ll remember, just because we played in under five hours in this event, we had a perfect day weather-wise, we were the first group out,â€� said Streelman, who credited a recent putting adjustment as a key to his bogey-free round. “They’re such great guys.â€� Fitzgerald certainly was impressed by his partner’s performance. He and Streelman are members of the same club in Arizona, so they’re quite comfortable as a team. “You just don’t see many people shoot 65 at Spyglass,â€� said Fitzgerald, a 13 handicapper. “That’s crazy.â€� Asked what his gameplan was once he saw Streelman was in the zone, Fitzgerald replied: “Just get out of his way. Don’t do anything that will get him out of his flow.â€� Mission accomplished. Streelman finally gave his Bears a measure of revenge. NOTABLES Defending champion Jordan Spieth shot even-par 72 at Spyglass. He made one early birdie at the fourth hole, gave the stroke back at the sixth hole, then parred out from there. Four-time AT&T Pebble Beach champ Phil Mickelson started off slow, suffering three bogeys in his first seven holes at Spyglass. But he made five birdies in his final eight holes to shoot 69. “A nice way to finish after not getting off to a great start,â€� Mickelson said. “It can be a difficult golf course but it’s also a course you play well, you’ll make some birdies. Unfortunately, I saw both ends of it today.â€� Mickelson was playing with Rory McIlroy, making his tournament debut this week. McIlroy shot 68, with birdies on each of the par 5s. McIlroy is playing with his dad, Gerry. Rory was taking his driver away on the 7th tee when he saw his dad’s shadow move, so he backed off the shot. He then blocked the tee shot way right, then sent his second shot into the water. He gritted his teeth and didn’t say anything to his dad. Rory’s reward? He chipped in for birdie. “So I was like, you’re forgiven,â€� Rory smiled. Jason Day is playing with Bachelor host Chris Harrison. When Day chipped in for birdie at the par-3 fifth at Spyglass, Harrison gave him a rose. “I was pretty happy with that,â€� said Day, who shot 69. Adam Scott, making his first start in this event in eight years, made the turn in 40 en route to a 5-over 77 at Spyglass Hill. “It wasn’t exactly what I wanted today, but it’s a process,â€� said Scott, who’s hoping to fine-tune his game going into next week’s event at Riviera. “The swing didn’t feel too bad, but I hit my clubs the wrong distances at times and left myself in bad spots. Didn’t leave myself easy chips and hit average putts from tough spots so it wasn’t good.” QUOTABLES I’ve definitely been trending in the right direction. I think I’ve kind of been one round away the last few weeks from having a pretty high finish.â€� It was just a full 8-iron and I hit it right where I was looking and it just fell in. Usually most courses, if you hit the fairway and hit the green and make the putt, it turns out all right. But with greens as good as they are here, there’s really not a whole lot of excuse. It’s just the most beautiful place in the world. It’s fantastic. It’s so relaxing to be by the ocean and play a fantastic golf course. It really is special.  SUPERLATIVES Lowest rounds (at each course) – Kevin Streelman’s 65 at Spyglass Hill; Beau Hossler’s 65 at Pebble Beach; Aaron Wise’s 66 at Monterey Peninsula Longest drive – 400 yards by Brendon de Jonge at the ninth hole at Pebble Beach. The next 14 longest drives were all on the 10th hole at Monterey Peninsula, led by Corey Conners’ 391 yards Longest putt – Branden Grace had a 55-foot birdie putt on the third hole at Pebble Beach en route to a 4-under 68 Hardest holes (at each course) – par-3 7th at Monterey Peninsula (3.250 stroke average); par-4 16th at Spyglass Hill (4.231); par-4 10th at Pebble Beach (4.212); Easiest holes (at each course) – par-4 10th at Monterey Peninsula (4.365); par-5 2nd at Pebble Beach (4.365); par-5 11th at Spyglass Hill (4.558). CALL OF THE DAY

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From a moment of silence to remember George Floyd, to no fan noise, to new noises players never noticed before, the PGA Tour’s return definitely looked and sounded different.

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