Handful of PGA Tour, Champions Tour players to compete in Arizona event

Tournament director says: “We feel at this time we will be able to put on a top-notch tournament in a safe, public environment.”

Some big names will tee it up in the 2020 Desert Financial Credit Union Scottsdale Arizona Open.

Tournament Director Ryan Pray confirmed on Wednesday that three-time PGA Tour winner Kirk Triplett, who also has eight PGA Tour Champions wins, two-time PGA Tour winner Kevin Streelman and PGA Tour pro Joel Dahmen are in the field. All three golfers are Scottsdale residents, so it’ll be a home game for them.

Dahmen won the event in 2017. Those three will compete against 153 others for the $20,000 first-place check. Total purse the event is $125,000.

Another Tour pro, Nate Lashley, is in the field. He won the 2019 Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit for his first Tour victory. He also won the 2017 Corales Puntacana Resort and Club Championship when it was a Korn Ferry Tour event.

Also: JJ Spaun, who has won on the PGA Canada Tour and the Korn Ferry Tour, is set to play the event.

Talking Stick Golf Club’s North course, the No. 18-ranked course on Golfweek’s Best Courses You Can Play in Arizona, will be the stage of this event.

“We are excited that we don’t need to postpone this event and eager to get out to Talking Stick Golf Club for the fourth edition of the Scottsdale AZ Open,” Pray said. “We have been watching the COVID-19 crisis very carefully and keeping up-to-date on orders from the Governor, and we feel at this time we will be able to put on a top-notch tournament in a safe, public environment.”

Arizona’s current stay-at-home order was extended on Wednesday to May 11, but the state’s golf courses have remained opened throughout the pandemic.

“We’ve had strong fields in the past, but we expect this to be our best yet due to the interest we have received from PGA Tour players,” Pray said.

The 54-hole event is May 12-14 and will be preceded by a pro-am on May 11. Go to scottsdaleazopen.com for information.

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