The 16th hole at TPC Scottsdale during the 2023 WM Phoenix Open. | Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images
The WM Phoenix Open is here, which leads us to ask the question: would you rather be at TPC Scottsdale, the Ryder Cup or The Open?
One of golf’s biggest parties returns to the PGA Tour this week, with the WM Phoenix Open again taking center stage.
Every year, WM Phoenix Open tournament organizers construct a large stadium around TPC Scottsdale’s 16th hole—a benign par-3 that measures 163 yards.
Fans race to the temporary arena at the crack of dawn, hoping to be one of the lucky 20,000 fans to secure a spot. But with each passing year, the 16th hole gets louder and crazier.
Alcoholic beverages shower the greens whenever someone makes a hole-in-one, too. Other notable occurrences happen every year as well, such as Justin Thomas donning a Kobe Bryant jersey on the tee or Harry Higgs lifting up his shirt to acknowledge the fans.
Consequently, the WM Phoenix Open has drawn comparisons to the Ryder Cup, where fans from the United States and Europe hoot, holler, and heckle the players on the course.
But then there is The Open Championship in the British Isles, where the fan experience is always tremendous, but orderly conduct must be abided by.
So, we at Playing Through want to know: which event would you choose to attend and why? Let us know in the comments below.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.
