Iconic moments from Phoenix Open history
The Phoenix Open has been ever present on the PGA Tour since 1932, albeit had a short break off the schedule between 1935 to 1939.
The tournament has been held on the Stadium Course at TPC Scottsdale since 1987, home of the famous 16th hole. This quick 9 runs down some of the best moments at the course.
Only par 4 ace in PGA Tour history
Andrew Magee is currently the only player to record a hole in one on a par 4 in PGA Tour history.
After a double bogey at the 16th Magee hit his tee shot without thinking twice about whether the green was clear as he was just an average length hitter.
His ball landed near the front of the green and hit Tom Bryum’s putter before dropping to the bottom of the cup.
Tiger raises the roof
It wouldn’t be a quick 9 without the Big Cat.
Just a month after turning 21 Tiger helped produce one of the loudest ever roars on the 16th. Just listen to that…
Phil comes agonisingly close to 59
Phil Mickelson had a putt to break 60 during the first round of the 2013 tournament. The American couldn’t believe what happened next…
Nicklaus and Palmer first pairing
The final round of the 1962 Phoenix Open was the first time that Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus were paired together for the first time in their careers.
Palmer won the tournament while Nicklaus finished tied for second.
PGA Tour attendance record broken
In 2016 the venue set a record for the most fans to attend a tournament in a day and in a week. On Saturday 6th February the day attendance was 201,003 while the week attendance was 618, 365.
Robot holes out at 16
The robot, known as LDRIC, stepped up to the plate and wowed the crowd at 16 in 2016.
Mark Wahlberg shank
We’ve all been there. Maybe not quite with the same crowd but just imagine how actor Mark Wahlberg felt after this shank on the 16th during the pro-am event in 2017.
Matsuyama wins back to back play-offs
After defeating Rickie Fowler in a play-off to win in 2016, Hideki Matsuyama did exactly the same in 2017. This time defeating Webb Simpson to go back to back at the Phoenix Open.
Super Bowl clash
In 1996 the tournament was played from Wednesday to Saturday to avoid any conflict with the Super Bowl which is played on the first Sunday in February.
In 2009 the tournament clashed as Charley Hoffman and Kenny Perry went to a play-off. This denied some of the fans the chance to watch the start of the game which featured local team Arizona Cardinals.
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Matthew Beedle
Matthew has been playing golf since he was around 13 and took up the game at a local nine-hole municipal course with his friends before joining Pontefract & District Golf Club just over the hedge.
Still a member of Pontefract with a handicap of 3, he currently sits on the board of directors to help with digital and marketing initiatives in order to improve membership and visitor income.
Matthew graduated university with a First Class in Sports Journalism from Leeds Trinity University and has been working in the golf industry since graduating.
NCG’s social media & marketing manager, Matthew’s main job role is to increase website traffic to the National Club Golfer website via our email and social media channels as well as driving entries to grow our NCG Top 100s Tour events amongst other tasks.
Not one to change his equipment too often, Matthew currently plays the TaylorMade M2 driver which has lasted the test of time in his bag. Elsewhere, you’ll find him using the TaylorMade Stealth 2 three-wood with a Ping G425 Crossover 2-iron to aid his long game.
Through his 4-iron to Gap Wedge, Matthew uses the Ping i500 irons accompanied by Ping’s Glide 3.0 56-degree and 60-degree wedges.
Another club that has stood the test of time in his bag is a Nike Method Core MC-3i putter which has had to have the SuperStroke grip changed at least three times. Ball of choice is the Titleist ProV1.
