Phoenix Open

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

WM Phoenix Open

Tournament information
Location	Scottsdale, Arizona
Established	1932
Course(s)	TPC Scottsdale
Par	71
Length	7,261 yards (6,639 m)
Organized by	The Thunderbirds
Tour(s)	PGA Tour
Format	Stroke play
Prize fund	US$20,000,000
Month played	February
Tournament record score
Aggregate	256 Mark Calcavecchia (2001) 256 Phil Mickelson (2013)
To par	−28 as above
Current champion
Scottie Scheffler
Location Map
TPC Scottsdale Location in the United States Show map of the United States TPC Scottsdale Location in Arizona Show map of Arizona

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, and it was known as the FBR Open for the next six editions. Waste Management, Inc. began its sponsorship in 2010.

The event's relaxed atmosphere, raucous by the standards of professional golf, 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 91 years ago 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 not as enthusiastic about running the event as 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 (33°29′N 112°04′W / 33.48°N 112.06°W / 33.48; -112.06),^[2] both in its earlier incarnations and after Goldwater resuscitated it. Beginning in 1955, the Arizona Country Club (also in Phoenix) (33°29′N 111°58′W / 33.49°N 111.96°W / 33.49; -111.96),^[3] 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 36 years ago in 1987 to its current home, the Stadium Course at TPC Scottsdale, northeast of downtown Phoenix. The approximate average elevation of the course is 1,530 feet (465 m) 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.

 

Logo from 2010 to 2020

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 in attendance on Saturday, February 6 and set a tournament week attendance record of 618,365 fans.^[4]

The most popular location for spectators is the par-3 16th hole, nicknamed "The Coliseum." (33°38′N 111°55′W / 33.64°N 111.91°W / 33.64; -111.91) One of the shortest holes on tour at 162 yards (148 m), 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 very easy 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),^[5] Jarrod Lyle (2011), and Sam Ryder (2022) have each aced the hole on Saturday, creating raucous celebrations at the hole.^[6] 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 150 yards (140 m) from the tee box to the green, citing injury concerns.^[7]

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 the 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 the organization of the tournament. Portions of the proceeds are used by the Thunderbirds to fund Special Olympics activities in Phoenix.

Conflicts with the Super Bowl

Since 1973,^[8] 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.^[9] In 1996, it was played Wednesday through Saturday, as Super Bowl XXX was held at Sun Devil Stadium in nearby Tempe.^[10] 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, 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

• 1987: Paul Azinger wins the first edition of the Phoenix Open held at TPC Scottsdale.
• 1990: Tom Pernice Jr. makes the first double eagle in tournament history on the par-5 15th hole.
• 1996: Grant Waite sets the course record of 60 (−11). Phil Mickelson, an alumnus of nearby Arizona State University, wins the tournament for the first time.
• 1997: Tiger Woods aces the par-3 16th hole in the third round on Saturday.
• 2000: Andrew Magee makes the first ace on a par-4 in PGA Tour history on the par-4 17th hole.
• 2001: Mark Calcavecchia sets the tournament record for lowest aggregate score with 256 (−28), including a course record-tying 60 (−11) in the second round.
• 2011: Jarrod Lyle aces the par-3 16th hole in the first round.
• 2019: Amy Bockerstette, a golfer with Down syndrome, pars the par-3 16th hole during the pro-am in front of Gary Woodland, a moment that went viral on social media.
• 2020: Woodland and Bockerstette reunite one year after their viral moment with a $25,000 contribution to the I Got This! Foundation, launched the previous year.
• 2022: Sam Ryder aces on the par-3 16th hole during the third round on Saturday.

Records

 

The 17th hole during the 2020 Waste Management Phoenix Open.

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 558-yard (510 m) par-5 15th hole in 1990. Andrew Magee scored the second on the 332-yard (304 m) par-4 17th hole in 2001, and was the first-ever ace on a par-4 in PGA Tour history.^[11]

Winners

Year	Winner	Score	To par	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up	Purse ($)	Winner's share ($)
WM Phoenix Open
2023	Scottie Scheffler (2)	265	−19	2 strokes	Nick Taylor	20,000,000	3,600,000
2022	Scottie Scheffler	268	−16	Playoff	Patrick Cantlay	8,200,000	1,476,000
Waste Management Phoenix Open
2021	Brooks Koepka (2)	265	−19	1 stroke	Lee Kyoung-hoon   Xander Schauffele	7,300,000	1,314,000
2020	Webb Simpson	267	−17	Playoff	Tony Finau	7,300,000	1,314,000
2019	Rickie Fowler	267	−17	2 strokes	Branden Grace	7,100,000	1,278,000
2018	Gary Woodland	266	−18	Playoff	Chez Reavie	6,900,000	1,242,000
2017	Hideki Matsuyama (2)	267	−17	Playoff	Webb Simpson	6,700,000	1,206,000
2016	Hideki Matsuyama	270	−14	Playoff	Rickie Fowler	6,500,000	1,170,000
2015	Brooks Koepka	269	−15	1 stroke	Hideki Matsuyama   Ryan Palmer   Bubba Watson	6,300,000	1,134,000
2014	Kevin Stadler	268	−16	1 stroke	Graham DeLaet   Bubba Watson	6,200,000	1,116,000
2013	Phil Mickelson (3)	256	−28	4 strokes	Brandt Snedeker	6,200,000	1,116,000
2012	Kyle Stanley	269	−15	1 stroke	Ben Crane	6,100,000	1,098,000
2011	Mark Wilson	266	−18	Playoff	Jason Dufner	6,100,000	1,098,000
2010	Hunter Mahan	268	−16	1 stroke	Rickie Fowler	6,000,000	1,080,000
FBR Open
2009	Kenny Perry	270	−14	Playoff	Charley Hoffman	6,000,000	1,080,000
2008	J. B. Holmes (2)	270	−14	Playoff	Phil Mickelson	6,000,000	1,080,000
2007	Aaron Baddeley	263	−21	1 stroke	John Rollins	6,000,000	1,080,000
2006	J. B. Holmes	263	−21	7 strokes	J. J. Henry   Steve Lowery   Ryan Palmer   Scott Verplank   Camilo Villegas	5,200,000	936,000
2005	Phil Mickelson (2)	267	−17	5 strokes	Scott McCarron   Kevin Na	5,200,000	936,000
2004	Jonathan Kaye	266	−18	2 strokes	Chris DiMarco	5,200,000	936,000
Phoenix Open
2003	Vijay Singh (2)	261	−23	3 strokes	John Huston	4,000,000	720,000
2002	Chris DiMarco	267	−17	1 stroke	Kenny Perry   Kaname Yokoo	4,000,000	720,000
2001	Mark Calcavecchia (3)	256	−28	8 strokes	Rocco Mediate	4,000,000	720,000
2000	Tom Lehman	270	−14	1 stroke	Robert Allenby   Rocco Mediate	3,200,000	576,000
1999	Rocco Mediate	273	−11	2 strokes	Justin Leonard	3,000,000	540,000
1998	Jesper Parnevik	269	−15	3 strokes	Tommy Armour III   Brent Geiberger   Steve Pate   Tom Watson	2,500,000	450,000
1997	Steve Jones	258	−26	11 strokes	Jesper Parnevik	1,500,000	270,000
1996	Phil Mickelson	269	−15	Playoff	Justin Leonard	1,300,000	234,000
1995	Vijay Singh	269	−15	Playoff	Billy Mayfair	1,300,000	234,000
1994	Bill Glasson	268	−16	3 strokes	Bob Estes	1,200,000	216,000
1993	Lee Janzen	273	−11	2 strokes	Andrew Magee	1,000,000	180,000
1992	Mark Calcavecchia (2)	264	−20	5 strokes	Duffy Waldorf	1,000,000	180,000
1991	Nolan Henke	268	−16	1 stroke	Gil Morgan   Curtis Strange   Tom Watson	1,000,000	180,000
1990	Tommy Armour III	267	−17	5 strokes	Jim Thorpe	900,000	162,000
1989	Mark Calcavecchia	263	−21	7 strokes	Chip Beck	700,000	126,000
1988	Sandy Lyle	269	−15	Playoff	Fred Couples	650,000	117,000
1987	Paul Azinger	268	−16	1 stroke	Hal Sutton	600,000	108,000
1986	Hal Sutton	267	−17	2 strokes	Calvin Peete   Tony Sills	500,000	90,000
1985	Calvin Peete	270	−14	2 strokes	Morris Hatalsky   Doug Tewell	450,000	81,000
1984	Tom Purtzer	268	−16	1 stroke	Corey Pavin	400,000	72,000
1983	Bob Gilder (2)	271	−13	Playoff	Rex Caldwell   Johnny Miller   Mark O'Meara	350,000	63,000
1982	Lanny Wadkins	263	−21	6 strokes	Jerry Pate	300,000	54,000
1981	David Graham	268	−16	1 stroke	Lon Hinkle	300,000	54,000
1980	Jeff Mitchell	272	−12	4 strokes	Rik Massengale	300,000	54,000
1979	Ben Crenshaw	199^[a]	−14	1 stroke	Jay Haas	250,000	33,750
1978	Miller Barber	272	−12	1 stroke	Jerry Pate   Lee Trevino	200,000	40,000
1977	Jerry Pate	277	−7	Playoff	Dave Stockton	200,000	40,000
1976	Bob Gilder	268	−16	2 strokes	Roger Maltbie	200,000	40,000
1975	Johnny Miller (2)	260	−24	14 strokes	Jerry Heard	150,000	30,000
1974	Johnny Miller	271	−13	1 stroke	Lanny Wadkins	150,000	30,000
1973	Bruce Crampton	268	−12	1 stroke	Steve Melnyk   Lanny Wadkins	150,000	30,000
1972	Homero Blancas	273	−11	Playoff	Lanny Wadkins	125,000	25,000
Phoenix Open Invitational
1971	Miller Barber	261	−23	2 strokes	Billy Casper   Dan Sikes	125,000	25,000
1970	Dale Douglass	271	−13	1 stroke	Howie Johnson   Gene Littler	100,000	20,000
1969	Gene Littler (3)	263	−21	2 strokes	Miller Barber   Don January   Billy Maxwell	100,000	20,000
1968	George Knudson	272	−12	3 strokes	Julius Boros   Sam Carmichael   Jack Montgomery	100,000	20,000
1967	Julius Boros	272	−12	1 stroke	Ken Still	70,000	14,000
1966	Dudley Wysong	278	−6	1 stroke	Gardner Dickinson	60,000	9,000
1965	Rod Funseth	274	−14	3 strokes	Bert Yancey	65,000	10,500
1964	Jack Nicklaus	271	−13	3 strokes	Bob Brue	50,000	7,500
1963	Arnold Palmer (3)	273	−15	1 stroke	Gary Player	35,000	5,300
1962	Arnold Palmer (2)	269	−15	12 strokes	Billy Casper   Don Fairfield   Bob McCallister   Jack Nicklaus	35,000	5,300
1961	Arnold Palmer	270	−10	Playoff	Doug Sanders	30,000	4,300
1960	Jack Fleck	273	−11	Playoff	Bill Collins	22,500	3,150
1959	Gene Littler (2)	268	−12	1 stroke	Art Wall Jr.	20,000	2,400
1958	Ken Venturi	274	−10	1 stroke	Walter Burkemo   Jay Hebert	15,000	2,000
1957	Billy Casper	271	−9	3 strokes	Cary Middlecoff   Mike Souchak	15,000	2,000
Phoenix Open
1956	Cary Middlecoff	276	−8	3 strokes	Mike Souchak	15,000	2,400
1955	Gene Littler	275	−5	1 stroke	Billy Maxwell   Johnny Palmer	15,000	2,400
1954	Ed Furgol	272	−12	Playoff	Cary Middlecoff	10,000	2,000
1953	Lloyd Mangrum (2)	272	−12	6 strokes	Johnny Bulla   Ted Kroll   Bo Wininger	10,000	2,000
1952	Lloyd Mangrum	274	−10	5 strokes	Dutch Harrison	10,000	2,000
1951	Lew Worsham	272	−12	1 stroke	Lawson Little	10,000	2,000
Ben Hogan Open
1950	Jimmy Demaret (2)	269	−15	1 stroke	Sam Snead	10,000	2,000
Phoenix Open
1949	Jimmy Demaret	278	−6	Playoff	Ben Hogan	10,000	2,000
1948	Bobby Locke	268	−16	1 stroke	Jimmy Demaret	10,000	2,000
1947	Ben Hogan (2)	270	−14	7 strokes	Lloyd Mangrum   Ed Oliver	10,000	2,000
1946	Ben Hogan	273	−11	Playoff	Herman Keiser	7,500	1,500
1945	Byron Nelson (2)	274	−10	2 strokes	Denny Shute	5,000	1,000
1944	Jug McSpaden	273	−11	Playoff	Byron Nelson	5,000	1,000
1941–1943: No tournament
1940	Ed Oliver	205	−8	1 stroke	Ben Hogan	3,000	700
1939	Byron Nelson	198	−15	12 strokes	Ben Hogan	3,000	700
1936–1938: No tournament
1935	Ky Laffoon	281	−3	4 strokes	Craig Wood	2,500	500
1934	No tournament
Arizona Open
1933	Harry Cooper	281	−3	2 strokes	Ray Mangrum   Horton Smith	1,500	400
1932	Ralph Guldahl	285	−1	5 strokes	John Perelli	2,500	600

Note: Green highlight indicates scoring records.
Sources:^[12][13][14]

Multiple winners

Fifteen men have won this tournament more than once.

• 3 wins
  • Arnold Palmer: 1961, 1962, 1963 (consecutive)^[15][16]
  • Gene Littler: 1955, 1959, 1969
  • Mark Calcavecchia: 1989, 1992, 2001
  • Phil Mickelson: 1996, 2005, 2013
• 2 wins
  • Byron Nelson: 1939, 1945
  • Ben Hogan: 1946, 1947 (consecutive)^[17][18]
  • Jimmy Demaret: 1949, 1950 (consecutive)^[19]
  • Lloyd Mangrum: 1952, 1953
  • Johnny Miller: 1974, 1975 (consecutive)^[20][21]
  • Miller Barber: 1971, 1978
  • Bob Gilder: 1976, 1983
  • Vijay Singh: 1995, 2003
  • J. B. Holmes: 2006, 2008
  • Hideki Matsuyama: 2016, 2017 (consecutive)
  • Brooks Koepka: 2015, 2021
  • Scottie Scheffler: 2022, 2023 (consecutive)

Notes

1. Shortened to 54 holes due to rain.

References

1. "Waste Management to sponsor Phoenix Open". PGA Tour. December 9, 2009. Retrieved March 13, 2013.
2. "Golf". Phoenix Country Club. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
3. "Golf". Arizona Country Club. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
4. "Waste Management Phoenix Open attendance records". AZ Central. February 7, 2016.
5. "Jones maintains Phoenix lead; Woods records ace on No. 16". Victoria Advocate. (Texas). January 26, 1997. p. 6B.
6. "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.
7. . www.golfchannel.com. Archived from the original on 2014-02-28.
8. "Crampton's birdie nets Phoenix win". Wilmington Morning Star. (North Carolina). Associated Press. January 15, 1973. p. 16.
9. "NBC's Post-Super Bowl LVI Show Will Be the Winter Olympics". ca.movies.yahoo.com. 12 November 2021. Retrieved 2021-11-16.
10. "Mickelson grinds out another win". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. January 28, 1996. p. 3F.
11. Kelley, Brent. "The Amazing Story of the Only Par-4 Hole-in-One in PGA Tour History". thoughtco.com. Retrieved October 4, 2017.
12. 2015 Waste Management Phoenix Open Media Guide – Section 14: Top Finishers 1932–2014 – at wmphoenixopen.com
13. Phoenix Open – Winners 2014-06-01 at the Wayback Machine – at www.pgatour.com
14. Phoenix Open – Winners – at golfobserver.com
15. "Bee 'helps' Palmer win Phoenix Open". Pittsburgh Press. UPI. February 13, 1963. p. 50.
16. "Palmer wins Phoenix Open". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. February 13, 1963. p. 1C.
17. "Hogan wins Phoenix Open; trouble looms". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). United Press. January 27, 1947. p. 5.
18. "Ben Hogan wins Phoenix tourney". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). Associated Press. January 27, 1947. p. 13.
19. "Demaret winner of Phoenix golf". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). Associated Press. January 30, 1950. p. 11.
20. "Miller shoots 64 for 14-shot edge". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. January 13, 1975. p. 13.
21. "Miller maybe world's best". Deseret News. (Salt Lake City, Utah). UPI. January 13, 1975. p. 8B.

External links

• Official website
• Coverage on the PGA Tour's official site