WM Phoenix Open golf tournament begins: Scheffler to defend title
The American, along with McIlroy and Rahm, are the favorites. The tournament generated more than $450 million in revenue last year.
From Thursday, Feb. 9 through Sunday, Feb. 12, the best golf players in the world will compete in one of the most prestigious tournaments on the professional circuit. The PGA Tour's WM Phoenix Open will be held at the TPC Scottsdale course in Arizona. Frost and low temperatures caused the PGA to postpone tee times on the first day for one hour.
The first two rounds will take place on Thursday and Friday, the third on Saturday and the fourth and final round on Sunday. Over 150 professionals will compete for the tournament's prize purse of $20 million dollars.
More than $450 million in revenue
Beyond important tournaments as the Ryder Cup, the Masters or the U.S. Open, the WM Phoenix Open is considered one of the biggest golfing events of the season. The tournament generated more than $450 million last year. For comparison, the Ryder Cup, which pits the best players from Europe against those from the United States, earned just $130 million in revenue.
In 2022, the WM Phoenix Open offered a prize purse of $8.5 million. In total, 700,000 spectators (126,000 non-Arizona residents) attended the tournament, and 4,000 jobs were created for the four-day event.
McIlroy, Scheffler and Rahm: a battle of the world's best
Scottie Scheffler, number two in the world ranking and reigning champion of the tournament, has the difficult task of defending his title against Rory McIlroy, the world number one, and Spain's Jon Rahm, number three. Before the start of the WM Phoenix Open, Scheffler praised his rivals and clarified his aspirations:
World number one Rory McIlroy assured that he considers himself the best player in the field based on his level of play in recent months:
For Jon Rahm, this tournament is special. Having trained as a professional on Arizona golf courses, the world's third-ranked golfer considers the WM Phoenix Open one of his favorites:
This year's edition will have two notable absentees: current number four Cameron Smith and number eight Will Zalatoris.