Scottsdale, Arizona – Cam Davis came agonizingly close to etching his name into the PGA Tour record books at the , 2026 WM Phoenix Open, narrowly missing a hole-in-one on a par four. The Australian’s remarkable tee shot on the 322-yard 17th hole at TPC Scottsdale left him with a four-foot eagle putt, which he subsequently converted, but not before a moment that had commentators and fans alike holding their breath.
Had the ball dropped directly into the cup, Davis would have achieved a feat not seen on the PGA Tour in 25 years – a hole-in-one on a par four. The only golfer to accomplish this in tour history is Andrew Magee, who did so on the same 17th hole in .
“This is aggressive over there … this is fantastic,” exclaimed commentator Taylor Zarzour as Davis’s ball landed on the green and trickled towards the hole. “We have not had an ace on a Par 4 since Andrew McGee did it decades ago on the PGA Tour – and that’s about as close we’ve seen for eagle.”
PGA winner Robert Damron added, “Even par, what a great time to pull off a shot like that.”
Despite the near-miss, Davis finished the second round at -2, securing his place in the weekend rounds. However, he faces a significant challenge to contend for the title, trailing leader Ryo Hisatsune by nine strokes. Hisatsune fired an impressive eight-under par 63, establishing an 11-under par total of 131, one shot ahead of fellow Japanese golfer Hideki Matsuyama.
Matsuyama, a two-time Phoenix Open champion ( and ), made a blistering run up the leaderboard with six consecutive birdies from the 13th through the 18th holes. He acknowledged the energy of the large crowds, stating he enjoys the atmosphere despite the added pressure.
“The energy that’s out there, so many fans cheering you on,” Matsuyama said. “You hit a bad shot, they’ll boo you and there is some pressure, but I love it.”
Min Woo Lee is the highest-placed Australian after two rounds, carding a six-under 65 to reach -6 for the tournament, five shots off the lead.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler overcame a shaky start to make the cut. After an uncharacteristic over-par opening round of 73, Scheffler rebounded with a six-under 65, finishing at four-under and securing his spot for the weekend with three strokes to spare. Scheffler has now made 66 consecutive cuts, the longest active streak on the tour.
Scheffler’s resilience is particularly noteworthy given his past success at the Phoenix Open, having won the tournament in after trailing by nine strokes at the halfway point.
The tournament also marked the return of Brooks Koepka to the PGA Tour after a three-year stint with LIV Golf. However, Koepka’s comeback got off to a difficult start, missing the cut after rounds of 75 and 69. He finished at two-over par, one stroke outside the cutline.
Koepka, a five-time major champion and a two-time winner of the Phoenix Open, had changed putters ahead of the tournament, hoping to address issues with his putting performance at the Farmers Insurance Open. However, his struggles extended beyond the greens, contributing to his disappointing performance.
Current Leaderboard (After Round 2):
- Ryo Hisatsune -11
- Hideki Matsuyama -10
- Chris Gotterup -8
- Pierceson Coody -8
- Akshay Bhatia -7
- Si Woo Kim -7
- John Parry -7
- Sahith Theegala -7
- Matt Fitzpatrick -7
- Min Woo Lee (AUS) -6
- Scottie Scheffler -4
- Cam Davis (AUS) -2
Players missing the cut include K. Vilips (AUS) at +1.
