Koepka Rallies for Phoenix Victory; Potter Closes With 74
Monday, February 8, 2021

    Ted Potter faltered in Sunday's final round of the Waste Management Phoenix Open, settling for a 3-over-par 74 and winding up at 2 under for the 72 holes. What had started out as a promising monetary week after a Thursday 66, ended in a tie for 64th place and a meager check for $15,841, bringing his two-week total to $96,602.

    Ted moved up six spots on the PGA Tour money list to 172nd, and went from 181st to 179th on the FedEx Cup list with 44 points. 

    It was the Seminoles who struck again as Brooks Koepka posted a 6-under-65 to steal the title from Xander Schauffele, Jordan Spieth, veteran Steve Stricker and a few others who had been jockeying back and forth over the final 36 holes on the weekend. Koepka's 19-under 265 bested Kyoung-Hoon Lee and Schauffele by one stroke, and Carlos Ortiz, Stricker and Spieth by two. Schauffele blew his chance by closing with a par-71 and Spieth did likewise with a Sunday 72. 

    Ted began the final round at 5 under and a solid under-par round would have brought him a healthy paycheck, but he never could put it together. He was 1 under early in the round after beginning on No. 10, but for the second straight day he found the water on the short par-4 17th, and made the turn in 1-over 37. A bogey on 1 didn't help, nor did another on 7. 

    Gator Billy Horschel, who was prominent for three rounds, closed with 2-over-par 73 and dropped to 6-under and a tie for 53rd.

    The Tour goes to Pebble Beach this week for the annual $7.8 million Pro-Am, which Ted won in 2018 for his second career victory, giving him an exemption that ends after this season. Nick Taylor is the defending champ - he took home $1,404,000 for his 2020 victory.  

    Dustin Johnson, who has pretty much become the face of the PGA Tour, is still not back for this one, but Ted will try to get back on track on the course he mastered three years ago. Gators Brian Gay and Matt Every will be playing, along with Seminoles Daniel Berger and Hank Lebioda. 

    There's a large contingent of the elderly, too, including Phil Mickelson, Jim Furyk, John Daly, K. J. Choi and the architect of Ocala's Trilogy course, Tom Lehman, along with several soon-to-be members of the Champions Tour - David Duval, Padraig Harrington and John Senden. 

    

    

     

    

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