Charlie Hoffman came within one birdie putt of winning the WM Phoenix Open, but fell just short. But he will still be rewarded in some way.
His runner-up finish earned him a spot in this week’s Genesis Invitational, his third signature event of the year. This was a decent second place award for him.
On Sunday, after a heartbreaking loss in the playoffs, Hoffman opened up to the media about something between him and Tiger Woods.
“I asked Tiger for a waiver and he said he’d give me a full waiver, and I said, ‘I’m going to play my way,’ so I think that’s why I did it,” Hoffman said.
Hoffman qualified for the Los Angeles tournament after competing and dropping a spot. The final round was 64 for a total of 21 under. clubhouse leader. Hoffman had to sit and wait to see if that was enough.
Nick Taylor picked things up in the closing stages and birdied three of the last four holes to force a playoff. Noting that he was no match for the 47-year-old Hoffman, he defeated him with a birdie on the second hole of extra time.
“I played my best. I gave myself a chance,” Hoffman said. “I knew that if I got to that 22nd, it would be hard for him to catch me and I would end up shorting the putt in regulation. But I love Juice. I want to compete. I love it. It creates a little fire in my belly. I definitely want to come back here.”
It’s been a while since Hoffman competed in a tournament. His last top 10 finish was at the 2022 Rocket Mortgage Classic. He finished in the top 25 just five times on the PGA Tour last season, including finishing 14th in this tournament. Hoffman quickly gained attention this weekend by recording consecutive times in the 64-second range.
At one point, it seemed like he might be able to escape, but in the end he was just one step away.
Regardless, he told Woods he was going to play his way, and Hoffman did just that. However, he has to cancel plans with his family.
“I’m excited about it. I’m going to play next week and I don’t think I’ll go skiing,” he said. “We were planning to go mammoth skiing for a few days. I think we’ll have to change our plans.”
Savannah Lee Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through.If you want to know more about golf, please follow us. @_PlayingThrough On all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirls and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.
