The exciting affair that is the Waste Management Phoenix Open (WMPO) is once again set to take centre stage at TPC Scottsdale’s Stadium Course from February 10-13 with an A-list cast of stars ready to audition for the leading role come Sunday night. The wildest week on the PGA Tour, commonly known as “The People’s Open,” or the less known “Greenest Show on Turf,” the WMPO is part professional golf tournament, part music festival, and part hangover. Add it all up and you have a golf tournament that just might rival the decibel levels of another major sporting event that just so happens to be taking place on Sunday night in a city bordering California. Of course, beneath the viral videos of guys chugging Coors Lights and players chucking merchandise into grandstands like it’s red meat to a pack of hungry wolves, there is a golf tournament to be played. So, let’s take a deeper dive into the gritty details and see what to expect from this always memorable tournament.
The Course
A par-71 that plays just under 7,300 yards, TPC Scottsdale’s Stadium Course has hosted the WMPO since 1987. In fact, the course was quite literally made to host the tournament. Over the past 35 years, this verdant green oasis of golf among the arid khaki desert landscapes of Arizona has seen everything from the extraordinary to the ridiculous. It’s the place where Phil Mickelson violently lipped out a putt for a sacred round of 59, and where Tiger Woods made a hole-in-one on the par-3 16th, eliciting one of the most outrageous scenes in all of golf. On that note, over/under on the number of times that Tiger clip is shown during the weekend telecast? We’ll put the line at 8.5. The Stadium Course has its fair share of memorable moments, made possible by its gettable set up and well hydrated spectators.
The Field
Defending champion Brooks Koepka will need to fight off a rock solid field to reclaim his title come Sunday night. Arizona State Alumni and world number one Jon Rahm will be in attendance, as will major champions Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth. Other big names include Xander Schauffele, Tony Finau, Viktor Hovland and past champion Rickie Fowler.
The 16th
The aforementioned par-3 16th at the Stadium Course is best described as the fun-loving, beer swilling, not so distinguished half brother of Augusta National’s own par-3 of the same number. Entirely enclosed by grandstands that fit some 20,000 raving fans, there is truly no golf hole on the planet that matches the noise and atmosphere created in this colosseum of carousing.
Canadian Contingent
A handful of lucky Canadians will be soaking in the hot sun in Arizona this week, leaving the rest of us to cheer them on from our Chesterfields north of the border. Those in attendance this week include Nick Taylor, Taylor Pendrith, Adam Hadwin, and highest ranked Canadian Corey Conners, who finished T-17 in last year’s event.
The Gear`
If you follow Puma Golf closely, you’ll notice that their Tracks campaign brings a number of exclusive drops throughout the year to coincide with the PGA Tour schedule and draw inspiration from the tournament or course. Next stop: Phoenix with its new Conservation Collection. The collection pays homage to the Arizona desert. Look for the likes of Puma athletes Rickie Fowler, Bryson DeChambeau, Gary Woodland and Emiliano Grillo to be wearing pieces from the collection this week at the WM Phoenix Open. Shop the collection here.
