WM Phoenix Open - The Greatest Golf Show on Grass

The WM Phoenix Open, arguably the greatest show on grass, is returning to TPC Scottsdale with its shortened name. The tournament will go on from 10th to 13th February. It is returning to the huge crowds that it is used to in normal times. In the previous year, only several fans were given admission because of the coronavirus restrictions. But this year, it is going at full speed ahead. This means that the arena that encircles the fifteenth hole will once again get the chance to experience more than sixteen thousand fans in attendance. The WM Phoenix Open also has a new date this year, one week later than the previous year. The WM Phoenix Open runs parallel with the National Football League to finish on Super Bowl Sunday. The WM Phoenix Open is a professional golf tournament part of the PGA Tour. It usually takes place in late January or early February at TPC Scottsdale in Scottsdale, Arizona.

The WM Phoenix Open was called the Arizona Open. But it was known for most of its running time by its present name until Friedman Billings Ramsey came on as the title sponsor two decades ago. After that, it was called the FBR Open for the next several years. Consequently, Waste Management Inc started to sponsor the event, and it has been that way for the past twelve years. The WM Phoenix Open has a very relaxed atmosphere. It can even be called raucous by the usual standards of professional golf. This has given it the moniker of the greatest show on grass. For these reasons, it is one of the most famous tournaments on the PGA Tour calendar. The WM Phoenix Open started nearly a century ago but was discontinued after a couple of years. The rebirth of the tournament came four years later when Bob Goldwater Sr. convinced the members of a local civic organization in Phoenix to assist in operating the event. 

The tournament was played at the Phoenix Country Club in the city. This was also true of the earlier versions of the tournament. Nearly sixty years ago, the Arizona Country Club alternated as the host of the event and the Phoenix Country Club. This arrangement continued until the latter took the former's turn twenty years later and became the event's permanent home. Finally, the WM Phoenix Open moved to its present home at the Stadium Course at TPC Scottsdale. The venue is northeast of downtown Phoenix. The WM Phoenix Open has traditionally been played on the weekend of the Super Bowl. The coverage of the tourney aired right after the coverage of the Super Bowl. One year, the tournament even overlapped with that year's edition of the Super Bowl. This denied the fans an opportunity to watch the beginning of the match, which featured the local team.

Because of the weekend status of the Super Bowl, the television contracts of the PGA Tour include an alternating tourney. Dr. Michael Golding is the tournament chairman of the most highly attended events on the entire PGA Tour schedule. He said, "It's going to be bigger and better than ever. I do think that our event is so powerful and so popular that we can withstand going up against the Super Bowl."

WM Phoenix Open Schedule