Experience the Waste Management Phoenix Open

"The Greatest Show on Grass" is a must-see PGA TOUR event, complete with a party atmosphere like nowhere else in golf.

The Famed Par-3 16th at TPC Scottsdale at the WM Phoenix Open

Premier PGA TOUR Event is Explosive Desert Fun

By Chris Duthie

All Images Courtesy of Waste Management Phoenix Open


Looking for Thursday and Friday Groupings and Tee Times? Click Here

For 21 glorious years, Coloradans were treated to the very best of the PGA Tour when The International was staged near Denver at Castle Pines Golf Club. Regrettably, the wildly popular event ended in 2006, creating a titanic void for fans that witnessed the crowning of champion shot-makers like Phil Mickelson, Greg Norman, Ernie Els, Jose Maria Olazabal and Davis Love III.

Quite possibly, the TOUR may be returning soon following the spring debut and maturation of the TPC Colorado, a 7,900-yard Art Schaupeter design under construction in Berthoud. Until then, the Next Best Thing to see and experience is the Waste Management Phoenix Open, ranked among the largest and most memorable outdoor sporting events in the world.

Billy Horschel at the 2017 Waste Management Phoenix Open

In fact, last year’s tournament attracted a record gate of 655,434 attendees. “The Greatest Show on Grass” is further credited with raising more than $9.3 million for charity in 2016 and more than $111 million during its 83-year history.

Scheduled Jan. 29-Feb. 4 at the TPC Scottsdale, the tournament’s reputation as an explosive, unconventional, hootin’-and-hollarin’ event is well earned, stemming from a spectacular target-style layout recently renovated by co-creator Tom Weiskopf. Measuring 7,261 yards, the par-71 Stadium Course is renowned for an island-green par-5, a drivable par-4 that in 2001 was aced by Andrew Magee, and a water-drama two-shot finishing hole.

But the real rock star of the show is undoubtedly the Stadium’s 16th, a 163-yard, tents-encircled par-3 that’s been transmogrified into a gargantuan peanut gallery for 20,000 suds-and-spirits-fueled onlookers who cheer, cajole and razz every tee shot — much to the self-deprecating delight of the tour’s superstar players.



Flo Rida WM Phoenix Open
Flo Rida will headline at the 2018 WM Phoenix Open

Plus, every afternoon of the tournament is topped off by the Coors Light Bird’s Nest, a see-and-be-seen social gathering that has become an uber-attraction in its own right. This year party-goers will be entertained by the Grammy-winning forte of Flo Rida and Kelley James, Florida Georgia Line and Chris Lane, OneRepublic and Natty Rico, and Nelly and Zedd.

Daily general admission is free for practice rounds on Monday and Tuesday. Tickets are $40 Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday; $50 on Friday and Saturday. Children ages 17 and under are free when accompanied by an adult. For more information, go online to wmphoenixopen.com.

Looking for a premier Scottsdale resort to overnight while attending the WM Phoenix Open? Click here for my review of The Boulders Resort & Spa or here for my review of the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess.


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Chris Duthie is a Durango-based contributor to Colorado AvidGolfer. 

Colorado AvidGolfer Magazine is the state’s leading resource for golf and the lifestyle that surrounds it, publishing eight issues annually and proudly delivering daily content via coloradoavidgolfer.com.

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