Tag: 2023 WM Phoenix Open

This week’s feel-good story: Monday Q’s have chance for $20-million purse, including a pro who survived near-death experience

“My brain swelled because I couldn’t fight off Mononucleosis for some reason.”

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Six years after his brain swelled from viral encephalitis, Brett White is set to make his PGA Tour debut at the WM Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale. It’s something he’s dreamed of ever since he took up the game at age 8.

“I’ll probably get up in the morning and go, ‘Holy crap,’ and then walk to the first tee and maybe a little nerves but after that, it’s just golf,” said White, who tees off at 5:15 p.m. ET Thursday due to a frost delay. “Until you get to 16. I don’t think you can ever prepare for 16.”

White, along with Andre Metzger and Dalton Ward were the last three players into the 134-player field after surviving Monday Qualifying.

Metzger, 41, who caddies at nearby Whisper Rock and has been a pizza delivery man to make ends meet, was the low man in the qualifier with a 65 at McCormick Ranch Golf Club. He previously made one Tour start at the 3M Open.

Ward, 31, played at Tri-County Technical College in Pendleton, South Carolina, and qualified for his fourth Tour event with a 66.

White, 29, made eight birdies en route to posting 66 for the third and final spot and celebrated by calling his parents and wife before shifting to finding a place to stay for the week — no easy task with the Super Bowl in town. The former Eastern Michigan golfer is crashing with college friends that live nearby and his wife and dad are flying in as well as a couple of high school buddies.

It’s a feel-good story given that six years ago White was hospitalized for three weeks with viral encephalitis.

“My brain swelled because I couldn’t fight off Mononucleosis for some reason,” he said. “It went and attacked my brain and caused all sorts of problems.”

Fortunately, his golf knowledge remained intact and a month after being released from the hospital he was swinging a golf club with support from a gait belt. His coordination and balance, however, were out of whack.

“I had to re-learn everything from scratch down to left foot forward, right arm swing,” he said.

But nine months later, he competed in a tournament. He has Korn Ferry Tour status this season but failed to get into any of the first three events, including striking out at some of the Monday Qs.

“I think I was 10th and 14th alternate on some of these early tournaments, but I’m in Chile for now,” he said of the Astara Chile Classic, which begins on March 30.

With a long layoff until his next tournament, he determined he might as well go play all the Monday Qs. A spot in the PGA Tour’s WM Phoenix Open means he has a chance to compete for a $20 million purse, where the winner Sunday will cash a check for $3.6 million.

“I would’ve taken any of them,” he said. “But now that I’m here it’s special.”

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Photos: 2023 WM Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale

Check out some of the best photos from the Valley of the Sun.

After three consecutive weeks in California, the PGA Tour is in the Valley of the Sun for its biggest event of the season thus far.

The 2023 WM Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale has kicked off and it’s the first full-field designated event of the year. Of the golfers who are eligible to compete, 23 of the top 24 in the world are in the field of 134, including No. 1 Rory McIlroy, No. 2 Scottie Scheffler, who won this event for his first victory last year, and No. 3 Jon Rahm.

It’s a star-studded week in the Phoenix area, as the Super Bowl is happening Sunday across town in Glendale. However, the Tour’s best will duke it out for a title of their own.

Here’s a look at the best photos from the 2023 WM Phoenix Open.

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Lifebird Grill cooks up 6,300 hot dogs during WM Phoenix Open week, donates proceeds to charity

The grill is situated near the 10th tee box at TPC Scottsdale.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — If there’s one thing Martin Calfee knows, it’s how to run a successful business at the WM Phoenix Open.

Calfee, a lifetime member of the Thunderbirds, the organization that runs the golf tournament, is the driving force behind the Lifebird Grill, a hot dog and beer tent that donates its profits to charity.

Now in his 26th year overseeing the operation, the 86-year-old has turned the charity initiative into a staple at the Open.

“The same people come back here and a lot of them are people who can’t wait to get back here,” Calfee said. “They love the hot dogs and they love coming here.”

His attention to details is poured into the estimated 6,300 hot dogs made yearly at the Open near the 10th green.

Calfee is particular about his process for making the right hot dogs. Working as an assistant in his first year overseeing the tent, the hot dogs were all frozen and weren’t up to his standards. Since then, he’s taken the frozen hot dogs and boiled them down in beer and grilled them over the fire.

While he’s proud of how his work has turned out, he’s even more grateful for how his craft has helped others. Each year, the stand makes about $30,000 for charity.

“I’ve been very fortunate in my life,” Calfee said. “I got a great wife and five great daughters. I got to give a little back and that’s what I consider doing.”

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A ‘very healthy’ Xander Schauffele returns to the WM Phoenix Open, an event where he’s yet to finish outside the top 20

A ‘very healthy’ Schauffele is back in the desert and ready to contend once again.

TPC Scottsdale has been a home away from home for Xander Schauffele. In five career starts at the WM Phoenix Open, the world No. 6 has never finished outside the top 20. In fact, over the last two seasons, Schauffele has a third and a second.

Quite the resume.

Earlier this season, the 29-year-old was forced to WD from the Sentry Tournament of Champions due to a back injury. Just a month later, he’s feeling close to 100 percent.

“I feel very healthy, which is great,” he said Wednesday, where he sported a haircut given to him by his caddie Austin Kaiser. “It’s been, Palm Springs and Torrey was a little iffy, good days, bad days. But just kind of a healing process. Very lucky, like I said before, I’ve got a really good team around me, and they’ve been telling me and giving me good advice on what I can and can’t do and should and shouldn’t do.

“I’ve been following their every step, and I’m feeling really good body-wise.”

Phoenix Open: Thursday tee times, how to watch

Despite the wavering condition of his back over the last few weeks, Schauffele’s game has stayed in great shape. He tied for third at the American Express in his first start back from his WD, then tied for 13th at the Farmers Insurance Open.

On Wednesday, Rory McIlroy responded with a confident “yes,” when asked if he believes he’s the best player in the world. Does Schauffele think he’s ever reached that level?

“I feel like I’ve had flashes where I’ve played to that level,” he said. “I think the beautiful part of what I’m doing is I feel like I haven’t even touched up on that yet. There’s a lot that I need to do to get to that point where I wake up and can just do everything with the golf ball, and the mental game with that also follows.

“Rory and the guys who are very confident in saying it, they’ve been there at No. 1. They believe they can be No. 1, and I do, as well, but I just know I need to do a few more things with my game in order to do that. Well on my way.”

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Xander Schauffele plays his tee shot on the 16th hole during the third round of the 2022 WM Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale. (Photo: Allan Henry-USA TODAY Sports)

The mental side of the game will be imperative over the next few days when the field reaches No. 16, the infamous stadium par 3, home to the rowdiest fans in the sport.

Schauffele’s strategy for the track’s signature hole isn’t all that complicated.

“Yeah, juices get flowing in there, tend to club down versus trying to hit a sawed-off shot. Yeah, just hit the green and people will cheer for you. It’s pretty simple.”

A lot has changed since the first time he played it.

“I feel like I was way more nervous,” Schauffele said when asked about his first experience at No. 16. “You kind of get anxious when you’re out there because the music is so loud. I think I was more nervous. I think it was kind of just nerves to hit the green.

“Then I missed the green a bunch of times and I got booed, and it’s not so bad. Nothing is worse than hitting a bad shot on your own, by yourself. It just sucks all around, so getting booed on top of it doesn’t really make it too much worse.”

Schauffele tees off with Jordan Spieth and Tony Finau at 9:59 a.m. ET Thursday.

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Photos: Check out the fans at the people’s tournament, the 2023 WM Phoenix Open

Check out some of the best photos of the fans at TPC Scottsdale this week.

Beers, birdies and bogeys. Three words to perfectly describe the 16th hole at TPC Scottsdale, host of this week’s WM Phoenix Open, the first full-field designated event of the season.

World No. 1 Rory McIlroy leads a stacked cast of the world’s best into the desert. McIlroy has yet to make a start on the PGA Tour in 2023, though he did take down LIV member Patrick Reed at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic a few weeks ago. Scottie Scheffler is the defending champion and surely one of the fan favorites this year.

Check out some of the best photos of the fans at the WM Phoenix Open, including a bunch of shots of the infamous 16th.

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Rory McIlroy ready to re-assert he’s No. 1 as 2023 WM Phoenix Open looms

Who is really No. 1? McIlroy’s answer was short and sweet and unmistakable.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Rory McIlroy’s reign as World No. 1 began in October when he won the CJ Cup in South Carolina.

He’s continued his winning ways on the DP World Tour, most recently at the Dubai Desert Classic in late January. But with a run of four wins in his last seven worldwide starts, No. 3-ranked Jon Rahm is hot on McIlroy’s heels and boldly declared that numbers lie and he’s playing the best in the world. Then there’s No. 2 Scottie Scheffler, the player McIlroy supplanted for the top spot and the defending champion at this week’s WM Phoenix Open, who also can reclaim the title of best player on the planet should he repeat.

It begs the question: who is really No. 1?

McIlroy, for one, was asked if he feels as if he’s the biggest man on campus this week in a field with eight of the top 10 in the world. His answer was short and sweet and unmistakable: “Yes,” he said and smiled.

“Because I do. I’m playing well. I feel like consistency-wise, I’ve been as good as I have been ever in my career,” he added. “I feel like I’m just in a really good place with my game and really have a lot of continuity in it and a lot of consistency.”

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Scheffler conceded that McIlroy and Rahm have eclipsed him, no matter what the rankings say.

“Right now I’m ranked No. 2, but I would say I’m not playing the second best golf in the world; I think Rory and Jon are pretty much neck-and-neck for playing the best golf in the world right now, so the rankings are funny. It’s just an algorithm,” Scheffler said. “[But] I don’t like being No. 2. I’d rather be No. 1.”

McIlroy, a four-time major winner and the FedEx Cup champion in August, went so far as tab himself as complete of a player as he’s ever been.

“If you just look at my statistical categories, there’s no real glaring weaknesses there. I’ve worked really hard on that, to try to become a more well-rounded player,” he said. “I think the results speak for themselves, as well, over not just the past six months but really the past 18 months post-Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits, I feel like I’ve been on a really good run of form since then.”

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Rory McIlroy greets former Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald ahead of the Annexus Pro-Am for the 2023 WM Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale. (Photo: Rob Schumacher/USA TODAY Sports)

McIlroy has won the last two times he’s teed it up on the Tour – at the Tour Championship in August and CJ Cup in October – and is bidding to become the first player to win three consecutive starts since Dustin Johnson in 2016-17, a feat McIlroy previously accomplished during the 2013-14 season. He is competing at TPC Scottsdale for just the second time in his career, finishing T-13 in 2021 during COVID-19 and when the crowds were limited to 5,000 people per day. There will be considerably more fans this go-round, with typically more than 200,000 people attending on Saturday alone.

“I haven’t had the full experience of this event yet,” McIlroy said. “I’m looking forward to it this week in some ways, but it’s going to be an experience.”

The WM Phoenix Open is the first full-field designated event – with 134 contestants scheduled to tee off Thursday – a new wrinkle that debuted this year designed to bring the top players together more frequently. It should present several opportunities in the run up to the Masters to determine inside the ropes who really is No. 1.

“I think when we started talking about trying to elevate or designate some events, I think this was one of the first ones on the list, just because it’s such a fan favorite, and players like it, players love the atmosphere,” McIlroy said. “It was already a huge event but made even bigger.”

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Photos: Check out the celebrities at the 2023 WM Phoenix Open Pro-Am

Celebrities everywhere.

There’s no shortage of big names in Phoenix this week.

First, the 2023 WM Phoenix Open is in town, and being the first full-field designated event of the PGA Tour’s 2022-23 season, most of the biggest names in golf are at TPC Scottsdale to compete for a $20 million purse.

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Across town in Glendale, the Super Bowl is set to begin Sunday between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles.

With both events, it means Phoenix and the Valley of the Sun are littered with celebrities.

Many of them were at TPC Scottsdale on Wednesday for the WM Phoenix Open Pro-Am.

The group of PGA Tour pros Brian Harman and Taylor Pendrith playing alongside CEO of Swire Coca-Cola Rob Gehring shot 16-under 55 to win the pro-am by a shot over Justin Thomas and J.J. Spaun. The Rickie Fowler-Gary Woodland, with a score of 58, was third.

Here’s a look at some of the best photos from the Pro-Am.

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Scottie Scheffler dishes on playing with Emmitt Smith, possibly returning to No. 1 at 2023 WM Phoenix Open and his Masters Champions Dinner menu

How close is Scheffler to revealing his Masters Champions Dinner menu?

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — A year ago, Scottie Scheffler was at or near the top of the list of the best PGA Tour golfers to have never won.

A thrilling playoff win over Patrick Cantlay at TPC Scottsdale in 2022 finally got Scheffler on the board but it was just the beginning.

Scheffler went to win three more times, culminating in the Masters, which elevated him to the No. 1 spot in the Official World Golf Ranking.

He returns to defend his maiden Tour win at the WM Phoenix Open but seems pretty much like the same guy.

“I don’t really feel much different than I did sitting here last year,” he said Wednesday. “As far as playing, I’m just always trying to get a little bit better, and the golf stuff for me doesn’t change too much. I’m just showing up and trying to do my best.”

Scheffler, whose family moved to Dallas when he was 8, grew up a fan of that team with the star on its helmet.

“I typically will never miss a Cowboys game,” he said, acknowledging that if he’s in contention on a given Sunday he isn’t watching. He also talked about playing his Wednesday pro-am round with a Cowboys legend.

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Scottie Scheffler and Dallas Cowboys legend Emmitt Smith walk down the 18th hole during the Annexus Pro-Am ahead of the 2023 WM Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale. (Photo: Rob Schumacher-Arizona Republic)

“I got to play with Emmitt Smith today, which was a lot of fun, and I’d never met him before, so that was really cool, just kind of pick his brain on some stuff. … just little random stuff. You can tell he’s still very, very competitive. When he comes out here to play golf, he’s trying to learn, he’s trying to do his best on every shot. It’s kind of fun just getting a little peek into his mind.”

Scheffler was No. 1 for 29 weeks in 2022 and is currently No. 2. He has a chance this week to return to the top spot.

“I like being No. 1 in the world. I don’t like being No. 2. It’s just kind of one of those funny things. Right now I’m ranked No. 2, but I would say I’m not playing the second best golf in the world. I think Rory [McIlroy] and Jon [Rahm] are pretty much neck-and-neck for playing the best golf in the world right now,” he said. “But I don’t like being No. 2. I’d rather be No. 1.”

Scheffler earned $1,476,000 a year ago. Now that the WMPO is a designated event with a $20 million purse, capturing a repeat would put $3,600,000 in his bank account. That would also mean Scheffler beat a stout field.

He’ll be aiming to defend his Masters title in two months and with the clock ticking, he was asked if has settled on the menu yet for the Masters dinner

“Not quite. We’ve got some ideas. I’m excited about it. Hopefully the guys will like it, too. I’m a little bit weird about my food. I don’t really branch out too much. We’ll see what they think.”

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The Card: Here’s this week’s 2023 WM Phoenix Open betting slip, featuring an appearance from Tom Kim

It just felt right to put the people’s champion on the card for the people’s tournament.

It just felt right to put the people’s champion on the card for the people’s tournament – but we’ll get to that in a minute.

This week’s WM Phoenix Open is the first full-field designated event of the PGA Tour season. What does that mean? Just a major championship-like tee sheet at TPC Scottsdale.

World No. 1 Rory McIlroy, who is making his 2023 Tour debut, Jon Rahm, Scottie Scheffler and 19 other members of the top 25 in the Official World Golf Ranking.

Mix that with the best fan atmosphere we see all season long, and this weekend is set to be a doozy.

It felt right that our new series, “The Card,” debut this week. I post my full betting card on my Twitter (@rileyhamel_) every Wednesday, but just in case you don’t follow me there, here’s my slip for this week.

Tom Kim, Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa and Viktor Hovland are all featured. Let’s grab an outright winner in the desert.

If you missed any of our gambling content this week:

Best bets, picks to win | Longshot picks | 5 props

(Beginning at the BMW PGA Championship through the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, we’re up 29.5 units on outrights)

The Card

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Watch: Justin Thomas attends Super Bowl media day to ask the hard questions to Patrick Mahomes, Jalen Hurts

This is too good.

What a week we have on tap in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Not only is it WM Phoenix Open time on the PGA Tour, where 22 of the top 25 players in the Official World Golf Ranking will be teeing it up, but the Super Bowl is in town.

Justin Thomas, world No. 9, took a trip to media day to ask the hard-hitting questions to the game’s two starting quarterbacks, Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts.

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Thomas and Hurts both attended Alabama, however, the NFL star eventually transferred to Oklahoma. The 2022 PGA champion had to know which school the Philadelphia Eagles QB claims.

Watch the full video below.

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