Phoenix Open Explained

WM Phoenix Open
Location:Scottsdale, Arizona, U.S.
Establishment:1932
Course:TPC Scottsdale
Par:71
Yardage:7261yd
Tour:PGA Tour
Org:The Thunderbirds
Format:Stroke play
Month Played:February
Aggregate:256 Mark Calcavecchia (2001)
256 Phil Mickelson (2013)
To-Par:−28 as above
Current Champion: Nick Taylor
Coordinates:33.64°N -111.91°W
Map:USA#USA Arizona
Map Label:TPC Scottsdale
Map Relief:yes
Map Size:220

The Phoenix Open (branded as the WM Phoenix Open for sponsorship reasons)[1] is a professional golf tournament on the PGA Tour, held in early February at TPC Scottsdale in Scottsdale, Arizona, United States.

The tournament was originally the Arizona Open but was known for most of its history as the Phoenix Open until the investment bank Friedman Billings Ramsey became the title sponsor in October 2003. For the next six editions, it was known as the FBR Open. Waste Management, Inc. began its sponsorship in 2010.

The event's relaxed atmosphere, raucous by professional golf standards, has earned it the nickname "The Greatest Show on Grass" and made it one of the most popular events on the PGA Tour calendar.

History

The Phoenix Open began in 1932 but was discontinued after the 1935 tournament. The rebirth of the Phoenix Open came in 1939 when Bob Goldwater Sr. convinced fellow Thunderbirds to help run the event. The Thunderbirds, a prominent civic organization in Phoenix, were less enthusiastic about running the event than he was, leaving Goldwater Sr. to do most of the work in getting a golf open started.

The event was played at the Phoenix Country Club in Phoenix both in its earlier incarnations and after Goldwater resuscitated it. Beginning in 1955, the Arizona Country Club (also in Phoenix) alternated as event host with Phoenix Country Club; this arrangement lasted until Phoenix Country Club took The Arizona Country Club's turn in 1975 and became the event's permanent home again.

The tournament moved in 1987 to its current home, the Stadium Course at TPC Scottsdale, northeast of downtown Phoenix. The approximate average elevation of the course is 1530feet above sea level.

The purse was $8.2 million in 2022, then increased over 140% to $20 million for 2023, with a winner's share of $3.6 million.

Popularity

The five-day attendance of the tournament is usually around a half million, the best-attended event in golf. In 2016, it set a PGA Tour and Phoenix Open single-day attendance record with 201,003 fans on Saturday, February 6, and a tournament week attendance record of 618,365 fans.[2]

The most popular location for spectators is the par-3 16th hole, nicknamed "The Coliseum." One of the shortest holes on tour at, it is enclosed by a temporary 20,000-seat grandstand. The hole could be described as "one big party," with many students from the nearby Arizona State University in Tempe in attendance. Poor shots at the 16th hole receive boos because the hole is straightforward by the PGA's standards. Good shots, however, are cheered loudly. Players who make holes in one at the 16th will cause the gallery to erupt, leading to beverages and other objects being tossed in celebrations; Tiger Woods (1997),[3] Jarrod Lyle (2011), and Sam Ryder (2022) have each aced the hole on Saturday, creating raucous celebrations at the hole.[4] The anger of a poor shot can lead to tempers flaring, as Justin Leonard gave obscene gestures to the gallery after a poor shot one year. After 2013, the PGA Tour banned the practice of caddies racing the from the tee box to the green, citing injury concerns.[5]

Former Arizona State players are very popular at the Phoenix Open, with many often wearing a Pat Tillman jersey when entering the 16th-hole stadium. Phil Mickelson and Jon Rahm are popular there for that reason. In addition to golf, there is a concert/party held in the Scottsdale area called the Birds Nest, at which music artists like Huey Lewis and the News play.

The Thunderbirds are still highly active in organizing the tournament. The Thunderbirds use portions of the proceeds to fund Special Olympics activities in Phoenix.

Conflicts with the Super Bowl

Since 1973,[6] the Phoenix Open has been played on the weekend of the Super Bowl. In 1976, coverage of the tournament's final round was joined in progress immediately after CBS's coverage of Super Bowl X.[7] In 1996, it was played Wednesday through Saturday, as Super Bowl XXX was held at Sun Devil Stadium in nearby Tempe.[8] In 2009, the tournament overlapped with Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa, Florida, when Kenny Perry and Charley Hoffman went to a playoff. That denied the spectators a chance to watch the beginning of the game on NBC, which featured the local Arizona Cardinals.

Because of the Super Bowl weekend status, the PGA Tour's television contracts with CBS and NBC include an alternating tournament. Usually, a CBS tournament occurs when NBC or FOX televises the Super Bowl, the Phoenix Open airs on NBC when CBS has the Super Bowl, and NBC's Honda Classic aired on CBS during the 2018 Winter Olympics.

Highlights

Records

The tournament's lowest 72-hole score was set by Mark Calcavecchia in 2001 with 256 (–28), which was matched by Mickelson in 2013. In the second round Calcavecchia scored a 60 (–11), which equalled the lowest score at the Phoenix Open (by Grant Waite in 1996) and subsequently matched by Mickelson in 2005 and 2013. Calcavecchia had 32 birdies in the tournament, which was also an all-time record.

There have been only two double eagles in the history of the Phoenix Open. Tom Pernice Jr. made the first one on the 558yd par-5 15th hole in 1990. Andrew Magee scored the second on the 332yd par-4 17th hole in 2001, and was the first-ever ace on a par-4 in PGA Tour history.[10]

Winners

YearWinnerScoreTo parMargin of
victory
Runner(s)-upPurse
($)
Winner's
share ($)
WM Phoenix Open
263 −21 Playoff 8,800,000 1,584,000
Scottie Scheffler (2) 265 −19 2 strokes 20,000,000 3,600,000
268 −16 Playoff 8,200,000 1,476,000
Waste Management Phoenix Open
Brooks Koepka (2) 265 −19 1 stroke 7,300,000 1,314,000
267 −17 Playoff 7,300,000 1,314,000
267 −17 2 strokes 7,100,000 1,278,000
266 −18 Playoff 6,900,000 1,242,000
Hideki Matsuyama (2) 267 −17 Playoff 6,700,000 1,206,000
270 −14 Playoff 6,500,000 1,170,000
269 −15 1 stroke 6,300,000 1,134,000
268 −16 1 stroke 6,200,000 1,116,000
Phil Mickelson (3) 256 −28 4 strokes 6,200,000 1,116,000
269 −15 1 stroke 6,100,000 1,098,000
266 −18 Playoff 6,100,000 1,098,000
268 −16 1 stroke 6,000,000 1,080,000
FBR Open
270 −14 Playoff 6,000,000 1,080,000
J. B. Holmes (2) 270 −14 Playoff 6,000,000 1,080,000
263 −21 1 stroke 6,000,000 1,080,000
263 −21 7 strokes 5,200,000 936,000
Phil Mickelson (2) 267 −17 5 strokes 5,200,000 936,000
266 −18 2 strokes 5,200,000 936,000
Phoenix Open
Vijay Singh (2) 261 −23 3 strokes 4,000,000 720,000
267 −17 1 stroke 4,000,000 720,000
Mark Calcavecchia (3) 256 −28 8 strokes 4,000,000 720,000
270 −14 1 stroke 3,200,000 576,000
273 −11 2 strokes 3,000,000 540,000
269 −15 3 strokes 2,500,000 450,000
258 −26 11 strokes 1,500,000 270,000
269 −15 Playoff 1,300,000 234,000
269 −15 Playoff 1,300,000 234,000
268 −16 3 strokes 1,200,000 216,000
273 −11 2 strokes 1,000,000 180,000
Mark Calcavecchia (2) 264 −20 5 strokes 1,000,000 180,000
268 −16 1 stroke 1,000,000 180,000
267 −17 5 strokes 900,000 162,000
263 −21 7 strokes 700,000 126,000
269 −15 Playoff 650,000 117,000
268 −16 1 stroke 600,000 108,000
267 −17 2 strokes 500,000 90,000
270 −14 2 strokes 450,000 81,000
268 −16 1 stroke 400,000 72,000
Bob Gilder (2) 271 −13 Playoff 350,000 63,000
263 −21 6 strokes 300,000 54,000
268 −16 1 stroke 300,000 54,000
272 −12 4 strokes 300,000 54,000
199 −14 1 stroke 250,000 33,750
272 −12 1 stroke 200,000 40,000
277 −7 Playoff 200,000 40,000
268 −16 2 strokes 200,000 40,000
Johnny Miller (2) 260 −24 14 strokes 150,000 30,000
271 −13 1 stroke 150,000 30,000
268 −12 1 stroke 150,000 30,000
273 −11 Playoff 125,000 25,000
Phoenix Open Invitational
261 −23 2 strokes 125,000 25,000
271 −13 1 stroke 100,000 20,000
Gene Littler (3) 263 −21 2 strokes 100,000 20,000
272 −12 3 strokes 100,000 20,000
272 −12 1 stroke 70,000 14,000
278 −6 1 stroke 60,000 9,000
274 −14 3 strokes 65,000 10,500
271 −13 3 strokes 50,000 7,500
Arnold Palmer (3) 273 −15 1 stroke 35,000 5,300
Arnold Palmer (2) 269 −15 12 strokes 35,000 5,300
270 −10 Playoff 30,000 4,300
273 −11 Playoff 22,500 3,150
Gene Littler (2) 268 −12 1 stroke 20,000 2,400
274 −10 1 stroke 15,000 2,000
1957 271 −9 3 strokes 15,000 2,000
Phoenix Open
1956 276 −8 3 strokes 15,000 2,400
1955 275 −5 1 stroke 15,000 2,400
1954 272 −12 Playoff 10,000 2,000
1953 Lloyd Mangrum (2) 272 −12 6 strokes 10,000 2,000
1952 274 −10 5 strokes 10,000 2,000
1951 272 −12 1 stroke 10,000 2,000
Ben Hogan Open
1950 Jimmy Demaret (2) 269 −15 1 stroke 10,000 2,000
Phoenix Open
1949 278 −6 Playoff 10,000 2,000
1948 268 −16 1 stroke 10,000 2,000
1947 Ben Hogan (2) 270 −14 7 strokes 10,000 2,000
1946 273 −11 Playoff 7,500 1,500
1945 Byron Nelson (2) 274 −10 2 strokes 5,000 1,000
1944 273 −11 Playoff 5,000 1,000
1941–1943: No tournament
1940 205 −8 1 stroke 3,000 700
1939 198 −15 12 strokes 3,000 700
1936–1938: No tournament
1935 281 −3 4 strokes 2,500 500
1934 No tournament
Arizona Open
1933 281 −3 2 strokes 1,500 400
1932 285 −1 5 strokes 2,500 600
Note: Green highlight indicates scoring records.
Sources:[11] [12] [13]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Waste Management to sponsor Phoenix Open . PGA Tour . December 9, 2009 . March 13, 2013.
  2. Web site: Waste Management Phoenix Open attendance records . AZ Central . February 7, 2016.
  3. News: Jones maintains Phoenix lead; Woods records ace on No. 16 . Victoria Advocate . (Texas) . January 26, 1997 . 6B.
  4. Watch: Sam Ryder makes an ace on 16 at WM Phoenix Open, coliseum nearly explodes and beer cans come raining down . Golfweek . February 12, 2022.
  5. Web site: PGA Tour Bans Popular Caddie Races at TPC Scottsdale, Colonial Golf Channel . www.golfchannel.com . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140228223146/http://www.golfchannel.com/news/golftalkcentral/tour-bans-caddie-races-tpc-scottsdale-colonial/ . 2014-02-28.
  6. News: Crampton's birdie nets Phoenix win. Wilmington Morning Star . (North Carolina) . Associated Press . January 15, 1973 . 16.
  7. Web site: NBC's Post-Super Bowl LVI Show Will Be the Winter Olympics. 2021-11-16. ca.movies.yahoo.com. 12 November 2021.
  8. News: Mickelson grinds out another win . Eugene Register-Guard . (Oregon). Associated Press . January 28, 1996 . 3F.
  9. News: Hogan majored in courage . ESPN . Larry . Schwartz.
  10. Web site: Kelley . Brent. The Amazing Story of the Only Par-4 Hole-in-One in PGA Tour History . thoughtco.com . October 4, 2017.
  11. http://wmphoenixopen.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/2015-Full-Media-Guide-.pdf 2015 Waste Management Phoenix Open Media Guide – Section 14: Top Finishers 1932–2014
  12. http://www.pgatour.com/tournaments/waste-management-phoenix-open/past-winners.html Phoenix Open – Winners
  13. http://www.golfobserver.com/new/golfstats.php?style=&tour=PGA&name=&year=&tournament=FBR+Open&in=Search Phoenix Open – Winners