WITH five different players winning 10 Major championships between them, Irish golf has had plenty of great days across the last couple of decades, but Sunday at Pebble Beach must rank pretty high on the list.

Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry were both in the final group at one of the ‘cathedrals of golf’ and after a slow enough start the two great friends found their flow on the back nine to emerge as first and second in a star-studded AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am field.

McIlroy engaged overdrive on that back nine to put the contest to bed with a couple of holes to play, and the way Lowry dug deep to claim second on his own can only bode well for the challenges ahead in 2025.

The biggest one coming up on the horizon for the Holywood man is clearly The Masters at Augusta where he will yet again attempt to complete the career Grand Slam, and the bookies have him at no bigger than 9/1 to finally end his Major drought in April.

The big fly in the ointment in that regard is Scottie Scheffler, who has threatened to turn Augusta into his own personal playground in recent seasons and is 4/1 to claim a third Green Jacket.

The undisputed world number one made a typically unflappable return to action at Pebble Beach, finishing ninth without breaking sweat on his comeback from surgery to repair a hand wound, and he now moves on to the WM Phoenix Open, where he is a clear favourite to secure a third victory in four years.

The calm manner of Scheffler’s performance in California was ominous for his rivals, with his tee-to-green game as good as ever, and only a few struggles around the greens stopping him really contending.

He will have better putting surfaces at TPC Scottsdale this week, when the loudest event of the year takes place, culminating on Super Bowl Sunday.

Scheffler won this title in 2022 and 2023, before finishing third last term when he couldn’t buy a putt, and if the flat stick even behaves moderately then there may be no stopping hi.

He’s no bigger than 3/1, and plenty of punters will see enough juice in that price to get involved as he is by far the likeliest winner.

I’d just prefer to make a few plays at bigger prices, and it is always worth keeping in mind that Phoenix is the ultimate ‘horses for courses’ event given the drinking and noise that surrounds it.

Scheffler, Hideki Matsuyama and Brooks Koepka have all won it twice in the last 10 years, while Rickie Fowler and last year’s champion Nick Taylor had both been second before getting over the line.

Tom Kim hasn’t come that close, but he has the personality to lap up the crowds, and he showed a liking for the venue when recovering from an opening 75 – 15 shots more than the winner Taylor – last term to finish 17th.

Kim warmed to the task at the weekend and returns to Arizona in fine form, having finished seventh at Pebble Beach despite driving into the ocean at the final hole. His trademark long game was superb on the whole, and he is putting better than in 2024.

It is also worth noting that Kim and Scheffler tend to play well on the same courses, finishing one-two in both the Travelers Championship and Hero World Challenge last term, while Kim’s caddie Paul Tesori won this event with Webb Simpson in 2020 and knows his way around.

The Korean youngster offers each-way value at 28/1 with Sky Bet, while it might just be worth having a dabble on the Scheffler/Kim dual forecast at 66/1 with the same firm.

Horschel has right type of attitude for rowdy TPC Scottsdale

I also want to keep Billy Horschel onside at 66/1 after he finished tied for ninth at Pebble Beach, matching McIlroy’s closing 66 on Sunday.

This proven winner also has a good personality for Phoenix, recording top-10s in 2020 and 2022, while his approach play was great in California at the weekend, finishing third in that regard, so he could go well.

I’ll also take a chance on Jordan Spieth (70/1, Paddy Power) and Charley Hoffman (100/1) rolling back the years in different ways.

Spieth made his return from wrist surgery at Pebble Beach and while 69th out of 80 is hardly impressive, he was five-under on Sunday and ranked in the top-10 for approach play, a key commodity in Phoenix.

Sixth here last year and in 2023 and fourth in 2021, the three-time Major winner may just run into a place, although winning would be a stretch, while Hoffman lost a play-off 12 months ago and tends to save his best for desert golf, which is no shock as a Las Vegas resident.

Fifth a couple of weeks ago in the California desert at the American Express, Hoffman retains all his long game prowess, and if we get him on a going week with the putter he could make light of three-figure quotes.

WM PHOENIX OPEN SELECTIONS

Tom Kim, e/w, 28/1 (Sky Bet);

Scottie Scheffler/Tom Kim dual forecast, 66/1 (Sky Bet);

Billy Horschel, e/w, 66/1 (Sky Bet);

Jordan Spieth, e/w, 70/1 (Paddy Power); top-20 finish, 16/5 (Bet365);

Charley Hoffman, e/w, 100/1 (Paddy Power); top-20 finish, 18/5 (Bet Victor)