This week the PGA Tour bid farewell to the stunning Pebble Beach and moved to Arizona, known for its deserts and canyons, for an adrenaline rush of the most "burning" PGA Tour, the WM Phoenix Open.
Event Profile
Defending champion Brooks Koepka led 15 of the world's top 20 players to TPC Scottsdale (Stadium) to kick off an explosive golf spree. The total prize money for this tournament is $8.2 million, and the winner will earn $1.314 million and 500 FedEx Cup points.
Focus golfer
In January, Hideki Matsuyama won the 8th PGA TOUR title at the Sony Open in Hawaii, starting from a five-stroke trail, and now he is at the top of the FedEx Cup standings. In addition to the recent hot form, the Japanese also won the championship for two consecutive years (2016-2017) in TPC Scottsdale, the only golfer in the history of the tournament to win consecutively.
Patrick Cantley, who was in the same group as Hideki Matsuyama in the first round, made his debut at the WM Phoenix Open, and in the three tournaments in 2022, the Americans did not finish in the top ten (4th, 9th, T4th). There are also Justin Thomas and Zander Sheophile in the world's top ten.
A two-time tournament champion, Koepka achieved his first career PGA Tour victory here in 2015, and in the more than six years since the first victory, the Americans have been known as the "Grand Slam Killer" for their absolute dominance at the Grand Slam, and have accumulated eight PGA Tour victories so far. His most recent victory was the 2021 WM Phoenix Open, but after that Koepka's form fluctuated, reaching the top 10 of the six games and suffering five eliminations, returning to this familiar place this week, not knowing if Koepka can be inspired again.
This week, world number one Joan Ram, world number three, Victor Hoveland, who has just won the European Tour -Dubai Desert Classic, Tom Hogg and Pan Zhengchun, who won the round at Pebble Beach, will kick off the first national feast of the new year with tens of thousands of fans at TPC Scottsdale!
Stadium
The WM Phoenix Open was once the most watched golf tournament on the PGA Tour and even in the world, with more than 500,000 spectators flocking to TPC Scottsdale each year. Last year, due to the epidemic, the number of admissions was controlled, and everyone did not have access to the world-famous "Colosseum" scene. This week, it finally returned.
The "Colosseum" originated from the 16th hole of the par-three hole of the stadium, and in this completely enclosed stand that can accommodate nearly 20,000 spectators, fans can cheer for the golfers. At the center of the stage of this golf show, the cheers and the inverted colors are dominated by the golfers. Historically, there have been a total of nine one-shot holes on the hole, with Tiger Woods taking the first shot at the WM Phoenix Open.
TPC Scottsdale is 7,261 yards long and par 71 and has been the venue for the WM Phoenix Open since 1987. Once again this week, let's join them in cheering for the golfers!
Open VIP member gold/silver card, watch 150 live broadcasts of the competition throughout the year, and enjoy multiple exclusive rights and interests such as live broadcast of the contest/mobile phone screen projection/event playback. Follow the golf channel and we will bring you exciting events in time!