There’s nothing bigger than the WM Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale.
We’re talking about 1 million square feet of grandstands, concession stands and standing-room-only stands, accommodating 750,000 fans on a 700-acre golf course, generating half a billion dollars in local economic impact and another $200 million to local charities, in part by selling (conservatively) about 70,000 gallons of beer.
All of this is worth remembering as we get ready for “The People’s Open,” which starts with the Annexus Pro-Am Wednesday, Feb. 5. Because my guess is that’s what organizers were thinking when they came up with this year’s motto, “Better, not bigger.”
“We’re going to be really sure that we don’t overcorrect,” tournament chairman Matt Mooney said in a Tuesday phone interview with The Arizona Republic. “The reality is, at a time when golf is going through a lot of changes and people are trying to figure out the future of the game, we’ve got an event here that is, by a wide margin, the largest on the PGA TOUR. … We’ve got a model that’s working exceptionally well.”
Despite the focus on “better,” I won’t be surprised if this year’s tournament is as big as ever.
Fans know exactly what to expect at “The Greatest Show on Grass.”
It’s not the tournament where you’re going to hear a polite clap for a nice putt to save par.
This is the tournament where you meet your old college buddies and roar for a hole-in-one or boo when a guy blasts one into the sand on 16.
It’s a place to see and be seen, especially on Friday and Saturday. People are flaunting cash, influence and, ummm, assets as they walk around with wristbands and sip cocktails at the unofficial start to the Phoenix sports new year.
It’s the party before the Super Bowl.
It’s the rev up to spring training.
It’s a place to celebrate one of the few places in the country where you can walk around in shorts in February.
This year’s extended forecast looks way better than last year’s, when the Pro-Am was canceled and the good people in Seattle brought their rain and gloom to town for a weeklong visit.
Mooney has been around the event for almost 20 years as a spectator, organizer (he’s a member of the civic organization known as the Thunderbirds) and now chairman. He’s never seen anything like the weather in 2024.
“My first Phoenix Open was 2006,” he said. “We’ve had some bad weather years, but the amount of rain in a short period of time, I don’t think we’ve ever seen anything like that. We’ve had frost delays and some years that rain came through. But the volume of rain last year was really unique in the worst way.”
Sorta.
I was there last year.
Yes, it was wet.
Yes, it was cold.
But I remember thinking, “This is going to make for a cool story 20 years from now when I tell my kids that we had to walk uphill both ways to get from the parking lot to 16.”
Plus, there were more than a few opportunistic (and almost certainly inebriated) fans who took to zipping down the hills around the course like they were giant, muddy Slip ‘N Slides. (If I wasn’t working, I might have taken a turn or two, myself.)
This year, to ease some of the bottlenecks, they’ve added an entrance and created some attractions to draw fans around the course.
The Taylor-Morrison Fairway House has been expanded, the steep hill on 12 has been scraped flat and the dirt from the excavation was used to raise up the Desert Oasis so that fans can watch golf on 5, 6 and 7 from one spot.
“Last year, we had really challenging conditions, but it’s given us an opportunity to make some changes,” Mooney said.
He added, “everybody wants to come see the 16th Hole. It’s an international bucket list item. … People will come and stand in line for hours and hours and hours to get into 16, but we wanted to continue to create these areas that are especially tailored to the general admission fan.”
It’s what they do at the Phoenix Open.
They’re always tweaking and adding and improving.
Take a look at the ace Tiger Woods hit in 1997. Fans are just standing around watching.
Flash forward almost 30 years, and there’s a complete stadium around the most iconic hole on the PGA Tour.
A few years ago, church pew bunkers were added to 18.
There’s grandstand seating on 17.
The improvements this year, which also include wider walkways and golf paths, aren’t only about the possibility of sloppy weather.
“We really feel like we’re improving the fan experience and giving fans an opportunity to spread out,” Mooney said.
Despite the focus on “better,” don’t be surprised if this year’s crowds are as big as ever.
There’s nothing bigger than the WM Phoenix Open. And if it gets a little rambunctious, that’s perfectly fine. Fans know exactly what to expect at “The Greatest Show on Grass.”
“We’re proud to be ‘The People’s Open,’” Mooney said. “We want to be approachable to all golf fans.”
Reach Moore at [email protected] or 602-444-2236. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @SayingMoore.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: WM Phoenix Open organizers focus on ‘better,’ but I’m expecting bigger
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