From Birds Nest bands to TPC eating-and-drinking tips, crush your Open experience with our front-nine preview of “The Greatest Show on Grass.”
Photo by Stephen Denton
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Before we tee off, let’s work out the kinks with some basic info.
- The Open was founded in 1932 as the Arizona Open. The name changed to the Phoenix Open in 1935. It’s the fifth-oldest tournament on the PGA Tour.
- The tournament moved in 1987 to its current home, the Stadium Course at TPC Scottsdale.
- Previously title-sponsored by brokerage firm FBR, the tournament has been affiliated with disposal and recycling firm WM since 2010. That sponsorship deal was recently extended through 2030.
- Over five days in 2020, more than 700,000 ticketed visitors attended the Open, making it the most-attended golf tournament in the world.
- According to Arizona State University’s W.P. Carey School of Business, the Open pumps more than $400 million into Arizona’s econony annually.
- Defending champion Scottie Scheffler will attempt to become the sixth golfer to win consecutive Phoenix Open titles in 2023. The others were Ben Hogan (1946-1947), Jimmy Demaret (1949-1950), Arnold Palmer (1961-1963), Johnny Miller (1974-1975) and Hideki Matsuyama (2016-2017).
- Two golfers share tournament record scores of -28: Mark Calcavecchia (2001) and Phil Mickelson (2013).
BONUS!
Looking for something to do after the tournament? Check out our North Scottsdale visitors’ guide.
