Last season’s FedExCup champion Patrick Cantlay is back in action at the WM Phoenix Open along with world No. 1 Jon Rahm. Brooks Koepka returns to TPC Scottsdale to defend his title from 2021.
Koepka, a two-time winner in Phoenix, looks to become the first player since Hideki Matsuyama to go back-to-back at TPC Scottsdale (2016-17)
Matsuyama currently leads the FedExCup and will be back looking for more magic in Arizona. Jordan Spieth returns to the WM Phoenix Open; he was the 54-hole co-leader last season after firing a 61 in the third round – just one shot shy of the course record
Three of the top four in the Official World Golf Ranking are teeing it up in Phoenix with Rahm (No. 1), Viktor Hovland (No. 3) and Cantlay (No. 4) all in action. This is Cantlay’s first-ever appearance in Phoenix. Other world top-10 players competing at TPC Scottsdale include Justin Thomas and Xander Schauffele, who finished T2 last season.
Daniel Berger is set to tee it up after withdrawing from the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am last week due to a back issue. Sponsor’s exemptions include Sahith Theegala, Austin Eckroat, Patrick Rodgers and Preston Summerhays. Summerhays is a freshman at Arizona State University and started working as a standard bearer at the WM Phoenix Open when he was just 10 years old.
TPC Scottsdale (Stadium), par 71, 7,261 yards. After COVID-19 restrictions impacted the on-site fan experience, the Stadium Course will be rocking again at full capacity. Opened in 1986, the Jay Morrish/Tom Weiskopf design has been the host club of the WM Phoenix Open every year since 1987. Last season’s scoring average at TPC Scottsdale was 69.455. The winner receives 500 FedExCup points.
The par-3 16th hole at TPC Scottsdale is the most iconic hole on the Stadium Course at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. It’s where the event rightfully earns its name as “The Greatest Show on Grass.” Here’s everything you need to know about the place where the party happens in Arizona.
The par-3 16th is the only fully-enclosed golf hole on the PGA Tour. Because the grandstand seats completely surround the hole, it has earned the nickname “The Coliseum.” The grandstands seat 20,000 spectators. As a result, it hosts some of the largest and, let’s just say, enthusiastic fans on Tour. While there are general admission seats available on 16, there is no grass seating or standing areas available. About 275 skyboxes are available in the grandstand, but most are typically purchased by corporations.
Fans also can witness the madness at the 16th hole from the special skybox loge. Tickets are required to enter the section, which is built into the stadium and offers spectators HD televisions, couches, and food and beverages. A tee shot that lands on the green will bring cheers from the raucous crowd, while a tee shot that misses the green will often result in vociferous boos. Saturdays are the most-attended day at the WM Phoenix Open, which makes it the loudest day at the 16th as well.
While the tee box at 16 is slightly elevated, the green is guarded by three bunkers. The par-3 16th tee is the shortest hole on the Stadium Course, as it runs only 163 yards from the black championship tees. There’s a dispute in the golf world over whether the hole is good or bad for the game. Some say that the constant noise and rowdiness from the fans takes away from the art and silence of the sport, but others argue that it increases fan engagement. Nine hole-in-ones have occurred at the par-3 16th since the Stadium Course began hosting the event in 1987. The first ace? Hal Sutton in 1988. The most recent? Francesco Molinari in 2015. But the most famous? A 21-year-old Tiger Woods in 1997.
My Goat Sports 