The Phoenix Open Monday qualifier, which golf fans would likely watch a live stream of if it were available, is preparing for its swan song.
As part of a series of changes to the PGA Tour, 2025 will see the last Phoenix Open Monday, marking the end of an era in the Arizona desert.
“Sad to be the final one,” said Bill Ibrahim, the director of operations for the Southwest Section PGA, which conducts the event. “The first qualifier for the Phoenix Open was in 1948 and has run consecutively since then.”
A year ago, the Monday event featured more than 100 golfers, 18 of whom held a combined 32 PGA Tour wins. This year, there 97 names on the tee sheet as of Saturday.
The notables:
-
Eric Axley
-
Aaron Baddeley
-
Ricky Barnes
-
Charlie Beljan
-
Jim Carter
-
Kevin Chappell
-
Robert Garrigus
-
James Hahn
-
J.J. Henry
-
Harry Higgs
-
Martin Laird
-
Max McGreevy
-
Jeff Overton
-
Ted Purdy
-
Doc Redman
-
Isaiah Salinda
-
Alejandro Tosti
-
DJ Trahan
-
Kevin Tway
-
Bo Van Pelt
The list of 97 includes the 22 golfers who advanced from the eight pre-qualifiers, which had a 672 golfers who signed up to participate. Those 22 are taking the most difficult road to a PGA Tour event, but they all have the same dream: to one day play professionally at the game’s highest level.
Come Monday (or perhaps Tuesday morning, if need be), just three golfers will advance to the field of 132 at the 2025 WM Phoenix Open.
This last Monday hoorah will be Feb. 3 at Pinnacle Peak Country Club in Scottsdale.
And then, that’ll be it. The end of the Mondays in Arizona.
PGA Tour rules about field size affects Monday qualifiers
New rules kicking in that relate to field sizes dictate for Monday qualifiers in 144-player fields, only four spots will be available. In 132-player events, that number goes to two. Tournaments with 120 players, which is where the Phoenix Open will be slotted starting in 2026, get none after this season.
It wasn’t uncommon for the first two rounds to not be completed on their scheduled day. This created issues when the second round can’t be completed until the third day which delays the cut and leaves many players in limbo. There is barely enough daylight to accommodate 132 players this time of year in the desert and any sort of weather delay derails the lineup.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: WM Phoenix Open 2025 will hold its final Monday qualifier
Read the full article here
