The PGA Tour moves from the coast of southern California to the desert of Arizona for this week’s Waste Management Phoenix Open at the iconic Stadium Course at TPC Scottsdale.
The long-running tournament – the 15th of the season, and fourth of the five-event “West Coast Swing,” provides yet another opportunity for the players to rack up some early-season FedExCup (and world-ranking) points.
The field in Scottsdale, Arizona includes 15 of the top-20 ranked players in the world, including six of the top-10.
The Skinny
Waste Management Phoenix Open
Dates: Feb. 10-13, 2022
PGA Tour Debut: 1932
PGA TOUR Week: 15th (of 43)
TV Network: GOLF/CBS
Course: TPC Scottsdale (Stadium)
Where: Scottsdale, Ariz.
Distance: 7261 yards, Par 71
Architect: Tom Weiskopf, Jay Morrish (1986)
Field 132 players
Format: 36-hole cut, 72-hole stroke
Purse: $8,200,000
Win Share: $1,476,000
FedEx/OWGR Pts: 500/64
2021 Champion: Brooks Koepka
How to Follow the WM Phoenix Open
TELEVISION: Thu-Fri: 3-7 p.m. (GOLF); Sat: 1-3 p.m. (GOLF); 3-6:30 p.m. (CBS); Sun: 1-3 (GOLF), 3-6 p.m. (CBS)
PGA TOUR LIVE (ESPN+): Thu-Fri: 9 a.m.-7 p.m. ET (Main Feed, Marquee, Groups, Holes); Sat: 11 a.m.-6:30 p.m. (Main Feed, Marquee, Groups, Holes); Sun: 11 a.m.-6 p.m. (Main Feed, Marquee, Groups, Holes)
RADIO: Thu-Fri: 1-7 p.m.; Sat: 1-6:30 p.m.; Sun: 1-6 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM)
LINKS: Website | Facebook | Instagram
Phoenix Open History
The origins of the Phoenix Open can be traced back to 1932 at Phoenix Country Club. That inaugural tournament was won by the often forgotten Ralph Guldhal, a 16-time PGA Tour winner who dominated professional golf in the late 30s.
The event was discontinued after the 1935 edition. The rebirth of the Phoenix Open came in 1939 when Bob Goldwater Sr. convinced fellow Thunderbirds to help manage the event. The Thunderbirds, a prominent civic organization in the Phoenix area, were not that thrilled with relaunching the event so Goldwater so was left to get it off the ground himself. Today, Goldwater is known as the “Father of the Phoenix Open.”
The event was played at the Phoenix Country Club, 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 remained at Phoenix Country Club for the next dozen years, until 1987 when the Stadium Course at TPC Scottsdale became its permanent location.
The Phoenix Open has had a lot of great champions in its history, including Byron Nelson, Ben Hogan, Jimmy Demaret, Johnny Miller, Arnold Palmer, Vijay Singh and Phil Mickelson.
One of Miller’s two victories was by an insane 14 strokes in 1975. Mickelson, Palmer, Gene Littler and Mark Calcavecchia share the tournament wins record, with three a piece.
In a tournament best known for the enormous crowds it draws, the par-3 16th, aka “The Coliseum,” is its most famous. Surrounded by a large grandstand and hundreds of skyboxes, players on the hole are subject to the loudest cheering they will hear all season.
Since 2000, there have been just three aces on the iconic hole: Mike Sposa in 2002, Jarrod Lyle in 2011, and Francesco Molinari in 2015. Tiger Woods also did it in 1997, his rookie year on Tour.
History: Tournament Titles
2010-21 Waste Management Phoenix Open
2004-09 FBR Open
1972-03 Phoenix Open
1957-71 Phoenix Open Invitational
1951-56 Phoenix Open
1950-50 Ben Hogan Open
1934-49 Phoenix Open
1932-33 Arizona Open
History: Recent Phoenix Winners
2021: Brooks Koepka (-19)
2020: Webb Simpson (-17)
2019: Rickie Fowler (-17)
2018: Gary Woodland (-18)
2017: Hideki Matsuyama (-17)
2016: Hideki Matsuyama (-14)
2015: Brooks Koepka (-15)
History: Phoenix Open Records
Wins:
3 – Phil Mickelson (1996, 2005, 2013)
3 – Mark Calcavecchia (1989, 1992, 2001)
3 – Arnold Palmer (1961, 1962, 1963)
3 – Gene Littler (1955, 1959, 1969)
72-Hole Score: 256 (-28) – Mark Calcavecchia (2001)
18-Hole Score: 60 – Grant Waite, Mark Calcavecchia, Phil Mickelson
The Field: WM Phoenix Open
The field this week in Scottsdale, Arizona is headlined by 18 of the top-30 ranked players in the world, and 15 of the top 20, including defending champion Brooks Koepka (No. 20).
Other top stars include six of the top-10 ranked players in Jon Rahm (No. 1), Viktor Hovland (3), Patrick Cantlay (4), Justin Thomas (7), Xander Schauffele (8) and two-time Phoenix winner Hideki Matsuyama (10).
In addition to Matsuyama (2016-17) and Koepka – also a two-time winner (2021, 2015), the field at TPC Scottsdale includes former winners in Webb Simpson (2020), Rickie Fowler (2019) and Kyle Stanley (2012).
Jordan Spieth, Abraham Ancer, Tony Finau, Daniel Berger, Billy Horschel, Bubba Watson, Louis Oosthuizen and Adam Scott are some of the other marquee names.
Top-5 Betting Favorites
Book Rank-Player (Odds)
1. Jon Rahm (7-1)
2. Justin Thomas (12-1)
3. Viktor Hovland (14-1)
4. Hideki Matsuyama (16-1)
4. Patrick Cantlay (16-1)
Full Field & Odds
WM Phoenix Open | Scottsdale, AZ | TPC Scottsdale (Stadium) | Feb 10-13, 2022
Storylines: WM Phoenix Open
1. World’s Top Dog at Scottsdale: Headlining this week’s field in Phoenix is World No. 1 Jon Rahm. And being ranked first in the world is far from the reason he is a heavy favorite this week.
2. Brooks Koepka Defends in Phoenix: Brooks Koepka winning is never really a surprise. The 31-year-old has eight career victories and has shown proficiency in staring down the deepest and most talented of leaderboards.
3. Entering Phoenix Off a Win: Koepka might be the tournament’s defending champion, but he is far from the only player in the field to have confidence in a recent outing. This year’s WM Phoenix Open features four players who landed in the winner’s circle their last time out.
4. Rickie Fowler’s Phoenix Open-tunity: Rickie Fowler might not be a local, but he is still one of the most popular players in golf, and he will certainly be the subject of much attention to the large crowds this week.
5. More Horses For the Scottsdale Course: Koepka, Rahm, and Fowler have excelled at TPC Scottsdale, but they are not the only elite players who feel exceptionally comfortable in Phoenix.
Read Joel Cook’s WM Phoenix Open Storylines.
Credits: PGA Tour Media, Getty Images, Joel Cook
