SCOTTSDALE, AZ (AZFamily) — Golf fans from all over the nation come to the Valley every year to witness one of the best-attended and rowdiest tournaments on the PGA Tour: The WM Phoenix Open. It features the famous 16th Hole and is known for attracting big-name players. Here are the big headliners:
Scottie Scheffler
The No. 1 player in the world is a two-time champion (2022, 2023) and is looking for a hot start to the 2026 season, hoping for a third Waterford Crystal Thunderbird Trophy. The Dallas native is coming off a historic 2025 season, where he won six tournaments, including two majors: the PGA Championship and the Open Championship and earned the Byron Nelson Award for lowest scoring average. This will be his seventh appearance at TPC Scottsdale, where he won the WM Phoenix Open in 2022 and 2023.
Brooks Koepka
Five-time major winner left LIV Golf and returned to the PGA Tour earlier this month. Koepka is a five-time major winner, including back-to-back U.S. Open titles in 2017 and 2018, and back-to-back PGA Championships in 2018 and 2019. Koepka has won the WM Phoenix Open in 2015 and 2021. From 2017 through 2019, he recorded wins or Top 5 finishes in six of 12 consecutive majors and was the No. 1 golfer in the world at one point. This will be his sixth career appearance at the WM Phoenix Open.
Jordan Spieth
The Dallas native is a three-time major champion and a 13-time PGA Tour winner. During his memorable 2015 season, he claimed five victories, including wins at the Masters and the U.S. Open. He also won the FedEx Cup and PGA Tour Player of the Year honors that year. Spieth tied for fourth at last year’s WM Phoenix Open. This will be his 10th visit to TPC Scottsdale.
Rickie Fowler
A fan favorite returns to TPC Scottsdale. Fowler won his first WM Phoenix Open in 2019. He has two runner-up finishes and seven Top 25 results at the tournament. Fowler spent 36 weeks as the top-ranked amateur golfer in the world before turning pro in 2009. The 37-year-old has six PGA Tour wins.
Collin Morikawa
The No. 18 golfer in the world is returning to the WM Phoenix Open for the first time since 2023. Since turning pro in 2019, he won six tournaments, including the 2020 PGA Championship and the 2021 Open Championship. Morikawa was selected as a captain’s pick to represent the United States at the Ryder Cup. His best finish at the WM Phoenix Open was tied for 25th place in 2021.
J.J. Spaun
The No. 7 golfer in the world is coming off a career-defining 2025 and is the reigning U.S. Open champion. He had a career-best five Top 5 finishes, seven Top 10s and 14 Top 25s. Spaun also had three runner-up finishes, earning him a spot on the U.S. Ryder Cup team. This is his sixth trip to TPC Scottsdale, where his best finish was tied for fourth in 2017.
Other big names include Xander Schauffele, Hideki Matsuyama, who won the tournament in 2016 and 2017, Gary Woodland, Harris English and more.
But golf fans also like to see the local guys. While there aren’t any Arizona State University alums, here are some with Valley connections:
Thomas (Tommi) Avant grew up in the Valley, went to Hamilton High School and won the 2025 Southwest PGA CHampionship to get a birth in the field.Matt McCarty went to Desert Mountain High School and made his WM Phoenix Open debut last year.Joel Dahmen lives in the Valley and became a fan favorite when he took his shirt off on the 16th hole in 2022.Tony Finau lives in the Valley and lost the WM Phoenix Open in a playoff in 2020.Sahith Theegala doesn’t live in the Valley but became a fan favorite when he got a sponsor’s exemption in 2022 and nearly won the tournament.
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