West Coast Swing Reveals Golf’s New Power Structure—And Some Familiar Surprises
After 35 years covering this tour, I’ve learned that the West Coast Swing tells you everything you need to know about where professional golf is heading. The weather’s nice, the courses are stunning, and the field is usually at its freshest. But more importantly, it’s the first real test of who’s hungry and who’s just coasting on last year’s fumes.
This year’s swing—with all its questions about Kapalua’s future and the Sony Open’s longevity—delivered some genuinely surprising answers. And the most interesting part? They’re not all coming from the names you’d expect.
The Gotterup Moment
Let me be direct: Chris Gotterup winning MVP honors isn’t just about that playoff victory over Hideki Matsuyama at Phoenix. It’s about what that win represents. Having caddied for Tom Lehman back in the ’90s, I learned that consistency of temperament separates the guys who win once or twice from the ones who build careers. Gotterup’s got that.
“The big-hitting right-hander went from being a guy to potentially being the guy as he rose to world No. 5 with his playoff win at the WM Phoenix Open over Hideki Matsuyama. While his power off the tee and surprising touch on and around the greens are easy to pinpoint and should be applauded, what was most impressive may have been his demeanor. Everything seems to bounce off him; no moment seems too big nor too small for a man with four wins over the last three seasons.”
That last sentence hits different when you’ve watched as many tournaments as I have. I’ve seen supremely talented players completely unravel under the weight of expectation. Gotterup just… doesn’t seem to do that. Four wins in three years isn’t just productive—it’s the sign of someone who’s built a sustainable game. At world No. 5, he’s not a novelty anymore. He’s a legitimate threat at every event, and frankly, that should worry the rest of the field.
Scheffler’s First-Round Problem: A Luxury Problem Worth Monitoring
Now, about Scottie Scheffler. Look, I’m not going to pile on the world No. 1 for not winning everything. That’s not fair, and it’s not golf. But there’s something genuinely curious happening here, and it deserves more than a casual shrug.
“After starting the season with a runaway victory at The American Express, Scheffler opened his next three tournaments with rounds of 73, 72 and 74. Despite leading the PGA Tour in overall scoring average, the world No. 1 ranks No. 116 in Round 1 scoring alone.”
Think about that statistic for a moment. Scheffler is still competitive despite what amounts to spotting the field a shot-and-a-half every first round. It’s almost absurd. But here’s what I think is actually happening: Scheffler might be fighting the same demon that catches every generational talent at some point—complacency wrapped in confidence. When you’re this good, when you’ve won as much as he has, sometimes your brain lets you sleep through round one because it knows you can make it up.
The counterargument is also valid. The man nearly won at Phoenix and Pebble Beach despite terrible starts. He’s still operating at a level most players can’t even comprehend. But in my experience, the difference between Scheffler winning 10 majors versus 4 or 5 might come down to whether he tightens that first-round noose before the majors come calling.
Jake Knapp and the Strokes Gained Revolution
Here’s where I think the casual fan is missing something crucial. Jake Knapp’s performance—strokes gained ranking him second in the world over the last three months—is exactly the kind of data point that matters more than people realize.
“Over the last three months, the second-best player in the world, according to true strokes gained, is … drum roll please … Jake Knapp! Not Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood or Jon Rahm.”
A one-time PGA Tour winner outperforming three Hall of Famers in the meaningful analytics? That’s not luck. That’s not variance. That’s a player who’s figured something out. Knapp’s five starts with no finish worse than T11 suggests he’s found a formula that works. The driver distance combined with putting confidence is the modern recipe for success, and he’s got both cooking right now.
More importantly, he’s currently outside the top 50 in the OWGR, which means everything before the Masters matters for him. If he keeps this up in Florida, an invitation is there for the taking. I’ve got a hunch we’re going to see Knapp’s name on leaderboards in bigger events this spring.
The Rose and Scott Show: Old Guard Still Relevant
Justin Rose winning at Torrey Pines at age 45 doesn’t surprise me anymore. Neither does Adam Scott’s resurgence at Riviera. What strikes me is that we’re still asking these questions about players this accomplished, as if winning major championships at 45 is somehow unexpected.
Rose climbing to world No. 3 and chasing that elusive green jacket? That’s a narrative with real legs. Scott putting two 63s together? That’s not a blip. That’s a player who still has major championship-level golf in his bag. Both of them touching mid-180 mph ball speeds at their age is genuinely remarkable, and it says everything about how modern golf fitness has extended careers.
Morikawa’s Redemption and Tiger’s “No”
Collin Morikawa’s win at Pebble Beach matters more than the scoreline suggests. “A win takes so much of that mental angst away, that angst that was visible last season when he lashed out at the media not once but twice, and when he fired his caddie not once, not twice, not three times … you get the point.” That’s a player who needed validation, and he got it.
And Tiger? That one-word answer—”No”—to questions about missing the Masters tells you everything. The fact that he’s now eligible for the PGA Tour Champions gives him something unprecedented: a genuine runway toward competition without crushing pressure. If he plays Tucson in late March, we might actually see where his game stands before Augusta. That’s valuable intel, and knowing Tiger, he’ll take it.
The West Coast Swing wasn’t just about winners and losers. It was about trajectories shifting, careers redirecting, and the golf world getting a glimpse of what’s coming next. And after three and a half decades, I can tell you: the view from here looks pretty interesting.
