Rickie Fowler is about to have a very expensive night
Rickie Fowler might actually be back.
After a few down years in the world rankings for the 34-year-old, one of the game’s most well-known golfers is capitalizing on the promise that made him a fan favorite.
On Sunday at the Waste Management Phoenix Open, he rewarded those fans once again with an absolutely perfect ace on the par three No. 7. Seriously, you may not see a more perfect hole-in-one again.
RICKIE FOWLER HOLE-IN-ONE ON THE 7TH AT THE @WMPHOENIXOPEN! 🔥
There was never a doubt it was going in from the moment Fowler made contact.
That was the third ace of Fowler’s career on the PGA Tour and his first since the 2015 Quicken Loans National. It was also the seventh hole-in-one in the history of hole No. 7 at TPC Scottsdale.
While the WM Phoenix Open is known for producing aces, those have typically come at the raucous par-three No. 16 hole inside the stadium. And when the ball goes in with just one stroke there, it’s a sight unlike any in golf—as Sam Ryder found out last year.
Fowler’s ace certainly moved him up the leaderboard. It just didn’t leave him within true striking distance of Scottie Scheffler’s lead at 15-under, even if Rickie saw his outright odds shift from +15000 to +2700 at FanDuel Sportsbook.
For 30 years Phil Mickelson was a staple of the WM Phoenix Open. In fact, he was the Phoenix Open.
For 30 years Phil Mickelson was a staple of the WM Phoenix Open. In fact, he was the Phoenix Open.
Lefty made his debut at the PGA Tour’s annual Arizona desert stop in 1989 as an 18-year-old freshman at nearby Arizona State. As Mickelson evolved from a three-time NCAA champion to a six-time major champion and 45-time winner on Tour, the event at TPC Scottsdale grew with him and took a bit of his personality along for the ride.
Mickelson is no stranger to a good time and the same can be said for the tournament known as “The People’s Open” which boasts a party atmosphere highlighted by The Coliseum, the famous par-3 16th that features 15,000 fans spread around the 162-yard hole. This year’s event is Feb. 9-12.
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“I think when I first started playing the tournament, I always felt this was a good golf course for me, always thought I would play well here and I always believed I would win this event,” said Mickelson, a three-time winner in Phoenix, ahead of the 2019 event. “One of the things that I could not have foreseen is probably the size, scale, scope of what this tournament has become. The 16th hole, what a famous and unique experience that is from a golfer standpoint, it’s unlike anything we have.
“It was always special, but it became something bigger and larger than I think I ever thought possible.”
Phil Mickelson rides with his wife Amy back to the 18th green after defeating Justin Leonard in a three-hole playoff to win the 1996 Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale. (Photo: Simon P. Barnett/Allsport)
Mickelson’s first Phoenix Open win came in 1996, when the tournament was played Wednesday-Saturday because the Phoenix area was hosting the Super Bowl, just as it is this year (the 2023 event is Thursday-Sunday). He was on 59 watch for his other two wins in 2005 and 2013, but settled for 60 at each. He’s finished in the top 10 an impressive 11 times and holds 15 tournament records. He is the tournament’s all-time leading money winner.
Simply put, Mickelson is the man in Phoenix. Or at least he was.
For the fourth straight year, the Phoenix Open will not include Mickelson, who skipped for the first time in 2020 to play the Saudi International. The move to pass on Phoenix foreshadowed Mickelson’s later defection to LIV Golf, the upstart circuit led by Greg Norman and financed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, which now serves as title sponsor for the Saudi International.
“I’d be lying if I wasn’t disappointed (in Mickelson’s decision),” said former tournament chairman Tim Woods in Dec. 2019. “I mean, I am. I will tell you that Phil has been a very, very special part of our tournament for so long — for 30 years. And I know the fans are going to be disappointed in that. But he’s been a great ambassador for us, obviously an (Arizona State) guy, and I certainly don’t think this is his last go-around with us. I sure hope it’s not.”
Mickelson is as optimistic as anyone, if not more, but Woods and the fans in Phoenix better not hold their breath for his return.
Phil Mickelson waits to tee off from the 12th tee box during the first round of the 2022 LIV Golf Chicago event at Rich Harvest Farms in Chicago. (Photo: Jamie Sabau-USA TODAY Sports)
“I just don’t have a desire to go back and play any of those events,” said Mickelson at LIV’s team championship in Miami last October when asked if he would miss any regular PGA Tour stops. “It’s difficult to come to a tournament put on by LIV that is so player friendly, that tries to have the best experience for the players and the least amount of energy output throughout the week, giving you time to prepare, get ready and put on the tournament and then really be present with the fans that are here. So it’s difficult to go back to a tournament that is so much more difficult with energy output throughout the week.”
Those in attendance will also be missing fan favorite Brooks Koepka, a two-time winner at TPC Scottsdale, as well as Bubba Watson and Kevin Na, who all joined LIV last year and also feature in the top-15 of the all-time money list in Phoenix. Other LIV golfers not returning include Pat Perez and Bryson DeChambeau.
Even though Mickelson has no interest in returning to the Tour, he still thinks players should have the option. For the 52-year-old, it’s just too much. Mickelson is exempt into the majors for the next three years, so those four tournaments paired with LIV’s 14-event schedule and the Saudi International makes for 19 starts.
“When I signed up, I thought it was supposed to be 10 (LIV events). So 10 plus four majors is 14. So it’s already a month more than I had originally thought,” said Mickelson. “I mean it’s more than enough.
“The LIV events are so player friendly that it’s hard to go back.”
But fear not, Phoenix fans, for your event always finds a way to deliver. Five of the last seven tournaments have gone to a playoff, and the two outsiders were decided by just one and two strokes. Scottie Scheffler, Hideki Matsuyama and Rickie Fowler have hoisted the trophy in that same time frame, with the likes of Patrick Cantlay, Xander Schauffele and Tony Finau all knocking on the door, as well. Not to mention it’s one of the Tour’s new designated events that’s guaranteed to produce a world-class field and draw an even better crowd.
While the loss of Mickelson, Koepka and Co. may have briefly hurt the short term, the future of the tournament in the desert is as bright as ever.
Does it get any better than having your 12-year-old daughter plead your case in writing to the WM Phoenix Open tournament director?
A little less than a month ago, Aaron Baddeley’s 12-year-old daughter Jolee asked him if daddy would be playing in the WM Phoenix Open, which begins Feb. 9.
The 41-year-old resident of Scottsdale, Arizona, played in his hometown event for 18 consecutive years beginning in 2003 and won the title in 2007. But he has missed the last two playings of the “People’s Open” due to his limited status on the PGA Tour in recent years — he plays out of the past champion category. He answered his daughter that it wasn’t looking too good for him again this year. Even if he were to finish in the top 10 at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am the week before, he’d likely not get into the 132-man field, which should be even more loaded now that the event has been upgraded to designated status and the purse soared to $20 million.
Baddeley explained that he likely would need to secure one of three spots available at the Monday Qualifier or be granted one of five unrestricted sponsor invites. Jolee was none too happy with this response and decided she was going to do her part to help his cause.
“I’m going to write them a letter,” Jolee said.
Baddeley didn’t blink.
“Go for it, babe,” he said.
Does it get any better than having your 12-year-old daughter plead your case in writing to the WM Phoenix Open tournament director?
“It was pretty awesome,” proud papa Baddeley said. “I didn’t have anything to do with it. She told him the reasons why they should invite me.”
Baddeley couldn’t recall word for word what his daughter wrote on his behalf but said it went something like this: He’s a local boy, past champion, works hard, almost won in Bermuda, still has a lot of game and is on the edge of playing great.
“She did it better than I ever could’ve done,” he said. “Hopefully, I’ll get in there.”
Aaron Baddeley celebrates with a “club drop” after making a birdie putt on the 16th hole during first round of the Waste Management Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale in Scottsdale, Ariz. on January 31, 2019. (Arizona Republic photo)
Chance Cozby, the WM Phoenix Open’s executive director, received the letter and wrote back to Jolee, one of Baddeley’s six children.
“First time I’ve received a letter from a child of a player,” Cozby confirmed. “It’s a nice touch. I thought it was unique, thought it was heartfelt.”
It’s too soon to say whether it will sway the tournament to grant Baddeley an exemption this year. Cozby noted that the decision ultimately rests in the hands of the tournament chairman, who this year is Pat Williams of the Thunderbirds, the charitable organization that hosts the event. In 2019, when Cozby was tournament chairman, he did grant Baddeley a sponsor invite into the tournament, so he has been a beneficiary of the tournament’s philanthropy before.
Of the tournament’s five sponsor invites, the WM Phoenix Open has announced two already: Charley Hoffman, a longtime ambassador for tourney sponsor WM, and J.B. Holmes, a two-time WM Phoenix Open champion; both Hoffman and Holmes were in need of a sponsor invite into the tournament for the first time.
Baddeley’s daughter’s letter brings to light how precious sponsor invites have become, especially in the age of the designated tournament era. A $20 million purse and $3.6 million share for the winner can be life-changing. It has sparked #LetterWritingSzn. Cozby said some are handwritten, some are pdf attachments and some are requests from agents on behalf of the player.
“We have 43 players that have written a letter. They’re all great players and we have to say no to most of them and that’s not fun,” he said. “We have eight players requesting a spot who are top 150 in the world and four who are top 100 in the world. Taylor Montgomery is 52nd (after capturing his eighth top 15 and fourth top-10 finish of the PGA Tour season at the American Express) and isn’t going to be in the field unless we give him a spot.”
Nathan Grube, longtime tournament director for the Travelers Championship, which also got bumped up to designated tournament status this season, can relate to how difficult a decision it is to make.
“It is one of the coolest and one of the hardest parts of the job,” he said of doling out sponsor invites, noting that the sheer number of requests means he can’t accommodate everybody but he will get back to anyone who writes in.
When told about Baddeley’s daughter and asked if he’s ever had the child of a player write a letter, he chuckled and said he had not. “That’s great,” Grube said. “You totally pulled the trump card. I don’t know how I can beat that.”
Baddeley failed to finish in the top 125 of the season-long FedEx Cup standings for the third straight year – he ranked 196. As a result, he can’t pick and choose his schedule and last season only got 13 starts in the regular season as a past champion. Baddeley has earned some early-season starts by Monday Qualifying, including at the season-opening Fortinet Championship, where he shot 7-under to make a playoff and made eagle on the second playoff hole to secure a spot in the field at Napa. He finished T-36 that week, T-6 at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship and converted a sponsor invite at the Sony Open in Hawaii into a season-best T-5 finish, which got him into The Amex last week.
“It’s definitely hard,” Baddeley said of relying on the goodwill of tournaments and going the Monday Qualifying route. “It’s probably harder on my family I would say than it is on me because it’s like, oh, you try and make plans and then you either get an invite or you’re top 10 or you Monday qualify or you don’t Monday qualify and you get back home.”
When he does get in a field, he said he treats the four-round tournament as if it is a Monday qualifier to get into the next event.
“Just a four-day qualifier, and there’s 10 spots instead of four,” he said.
At last year’s WM Phoenix Open, Sahith Theegala received the fifth and final exemption into the tournament after getting hot on the Tour’s West Coast Swing, and nearly won the tournament, finishing third. So, a good result at the Farmers Insurance Open this week could go a long way to helping Baddeley’s cause for one of three remaining exemptions still available. Jolee is counting on it.
“If we give him one that will be a nice story and if we don’t it makes us look like we don’t have a heart, but we do,” Cozby said.
Everything you need to know for Sunday’s final round of the WM Phoenix Open.
The PGA Tour is enjoying another action-packed week in the Arizona desert for the 2022 WM Phoenix Open this week.
Sahith Theegala, the solo 36-hole leader, playing this week thanks to a sponsor exemption. He started slow on Saturday with an early double bogey, but to his credit, battled back. He made three birdies in his last four holes on the front nine to turn with a 1-under 34. He shot 1-under on the back, including an incredibly important up-and-down on 18 to stay in the lead, for a day total of 2-under 69.
Defending champion Brooks Koepka sits in solo second at 13 under after an up and down day. Koepka made four birdies to go along with three bogeys for a round three 3-under 68.
Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Patrick Cantlay, and Talor Gooch are all two back at 12 under.
From tee times to TV and streaming info, here’s everything you need to know for the final round of the 2022 WM Phoenix Open.
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The fans were happy to share their brews with Ryder after his unbelievable shot.
Who says golf can’t be fun? Certainly not Sam Ryder.
The 32-year-old may only have two career PGA Tour wins, but he was a part of one of the best moments the sport has seen in recent memory on Saturday in Round 3 of the Waste Management Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale.
Sitting at 4-under for the tournament, Ryder needed some momentum, and he found it on the famous 16th hole when his tee shot on the Par 3 landed on the green and rolled perfectly into the hole for an ace.
The fans sitting around the hole in the grandstands — which seat 20,000, creating one of the wildest atmospheres of the entire Tour — absolutely lost their minds in response, showering the green with a sea of brews.
I mean, seriously, this looks like something out of a Premier League game. Who knew golf fans had it in them?
Hard-core followers of the sport are almost certainly familiar with the 16th hole at TPC Scottsdale, as it’s most famous for another ace, which was hit by a young Tiger Woods at the Phoenix Open in 1997.
Ryder still has some work to do on Sunday if he’s going to catch leader Patrick Cantlay, who sits at 13-under for the tournament as of when we published this post. His incredible shot moved him to 6-under in total, but that’s good for just a tie for 29th place right now.
But regardless of how things play out, it’s hard to imagine anyone else will be able to top that wild moment.
Everything you need to know for Saturday’s third round of the WM Phoenix Open.
The PGA Tour is in the Arizona desert for the 2022 WM Phoenix Open this week.
PGA Tour rookie Sahith Theegala continued his good play Friday firing a 7-under 64 around TPC Scottsdale. Theegala drained a birdie putt on his last hole of the day to put an exclamation point on his round.
Last year’s WMPO champion Brooks Koepka also played well Friday, signing for six birdies and a bogey for a second consecutive 66. Koepka said earlier this week he’s embarrassed to be No. 20 in the Official World Golf Ranking. If he continues to play like he is this week, he won’t be there for long.
From tee times to TV and streaming info, here’s everything you need to know for the third round of the 2022 WM Phoenix Open.
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Everything you need to know for Friday’s second round of the WM Phoenix Open.
The PGA Tour is in theArizona desert for the 2022 WM Phoenix Open this week.
Defending champion Brooks Koepka briefly held the first-round lead at 5 under but was surpassed by K.H. Lee, who signed for a 6-under 65. Rookie Sahith Theegala then rose to the top of the leaderboard at 7 under thanks to a stretch of four consecutive birdies on Nos. 13-16 Thursday at TPC Scottsdale.
Before the first round could be finished, play was suspended for darkness at 6:23 p.m. local time (8:23 p.m. ET). Those who did not finish will be back in position at 8 a.m. local time for the restart. Second-round times remain unchanged.
From tee times to TV and streaming info, here’s everything you need to know for the second round of the 2022 WM Phoenix Open.
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The company designed nine special products, all in WM colorways.
Arizona lifestyle and golf brand Devereux has created a WM Phoenix Open-inspired capsule with their “Play More, Complain Less” mantra. The WM Phoenix Open is one of the best-attended golf tournaments in the world.
According to TPC Scottsdale, the event averages more than 700,000 attendees each year and as a local brand, DVRX felt compelled to do something commemorating the legendary event. DVRX has designed nine special products, all in WM colorways.
DVRX Plug Life golf towel — $34. (Devereux)
The Plug Life Golf towel is a waffle-knit towel inspired by desert golf. With green and yellow WM colors, this bold 1970s cactus design is a way to represent the desert sun and good times.
DVRX Skull Caddy Hat — $35. (Devereux)
DVRX has designed multiple rope-styled hats in this capsule. The Skull Caddy Hat is a yellow cap with a simple skull design to represent the desert heat. The hat has five panels and a snap closure to fit all head sizes. Made from 100% polyester, the perforated sides allow for maximum breathability in hot climates.
Check out DVRX’S website for more designs, clothing and accessories.
We occasionally recommend interesting products, services, and gaming opportunities. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. Golfweek operates independently, though, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.
Berger has been par or better in all 12 rounds this season.
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Daniel Berger does not like missing his hometown tournament. A year ago, he was forced to sit out the Honda Classic because of a rib injury.
This year, he is dealing with back issues at just the wrong time. But Berger is entered in this week’s Phoenix Open and is hoping a healthy weekend clears the way for him to play the tournament held at PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens, just minutes from his home in Jupiter.
“Everything going on with my back, it’s going to come down to how healthy I feel,” Berger said Tuesday after hitting balls on the range at TPC Scottsdale. “I’ll make a decision after this weekend.”
Berger was unable to defend his title at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am a week ago, withdrawing the day before the event started because of his back.
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At No. 19 in the World Golf Rankings, Berger would be a nice boost to the Honda Classic field. Louis Oosthuizen, No. 12, is the highest-ranked player currently signed up for Honda. Jupiter’s Brooks Koepka, who is defending his Phoenix Open title this week, is ranked 20th.
Berger has made just two starts on the PGA Tour this season and finished in the top 20 in both. He tied for fifth at the Sentry Tournament of Champions in early January and three weeks later tied for 20th at the Farmers Insurance Open. He also had a T7 at the Hero World Challenge, an unofficial event.
Berger has been par or better in all 12 rounds this season, including the Hero World Challenge, with all but one round under par.
Prior to the season starting, Berger was a member of the winning U.S. Ryder Cup team at Whistling Straits in September. In 23 events last season, he had eight top 10 finishes, including his fourth PGA Tour win at Pebble Beach.
The Honda Classic has been a staple on Berger’s schedule since losing in a playoff to Padraig Harrington in his tournament debut as a rookie in 2015. Harrington caught Berger by draining a 15-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole in regulation and then won it on the second playoff hole.
Berger has played every year since, the streak ending last year because of the injury. He was fourth in 2020.
“It’s the chance for all my family and friends to come out, and to sleep in your own bed and still be able to win a PGA Tour event,” Berger said before last year’s tournament. “That doesn’t happen very often.”
If you’re not one to hush up for golf, check out five thoughts on the 16th at TPC Scottsdale’s Stadium Course.
A party. A par-3. The loudest scene in golf. A chance to cut loose and show a very different side of golf, where pros can interact with fans in ways not seen anywhere else. A chance to elicit wild cheers, or maybe lose a tournament to the sound of boos late in the final round.
Called the Coliseum, No. 16 at TPC Scottsdale’s Stadium Course is many things to different people. What the atmosphere is most of all, especially to those who attend, is unforgettable – assuming they haven’t been overserved.
Dubbed the People’s Open, the WM Phoenix Open – rebranded this year to condense Waste Management to WM – has been played at the Stadium Course since 1987. And it has become for many the can’t-miss event on the PGA Tour calendar.
A group of men dressed like Richard Simmons pose in the birds nest at No. 16 during the 2020 Waste Management Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale. (Nicole Neri/The Republic)
And the 16th is the star of a show that can host more than 200,000 fans in a day. The event no longer offers up statistics on fan attendance since the 2019 event, but on Saturday in 2018, more than 216,000 fans attended the event.
Not to be lost in all the noise and revelry is that the Thunderbirds, the charitable organization that operates the event, has raised more than $160 million and counting for Arizona charities – No. 16 is great and all, but the numbers 1 and 6 look even better when followed by all those zeroes, in this case.
A drone view of the 16th hole at TPC Scottsdale’s Stadium Course in 2020 (Golfweek files)
Also worth noting: The Stadium Course, designed by Tom Weiskopf and Jay Morrish and opened in 1986, ranks No. 5 in Arizona on Golfweek’s Best Courses You Can Play list for public-access layouts. It will play at 7,261 yards with a par of 71. And with those details taken care of, check out several of the more-interesting themes of No. 16 – and what comes after.
