2025 WM Phoenix Open tees off at TPC Scottsdale

PHOENIX (AZFamily) — The WM Phoenix Open has already been a week filled with celebrity and athlete appearances, delicious food and tasty drinks — with plenty more to come! On Thursday, the First Round of the tournament kicks off, marking four days of competitive play for fans to watch.

In this edition of Field Trip Friday (on a Thursday), we take you inside the famed tournament.

Catching up with the pros

Good Morning Arizona spoke with PGA pro Rickie Fowler about what it’s like playing at one of the biggest golf tournaments in the world. Fowler said while the support is nice, fans will also hold players accountable if they don’t like what they see.

“You have to embrace the crowd, and, you can definitely feed off of them. And I’ve been lucky to to have nothing short of a lot of support here. The fans have been great, but at the same time, you know, they’ll let you have it as well,” he said. “I’ve been on the receiving end a few times, and it is part of it. You know? We wouldn’t want every week to be like this, but this is also what makes this week so special.”

Fowler is now a role model to many young children who aspire to be golfers one day.

“Coming out and and turning pro, and my dream was always just to play on the PGA tour and win. And so to go into that position and end up having the the following I did with the younger kids, that was just a bonus to be able to be there as a role model,” he said. “I remember growing up and, you know, having the the golfers and guys that I looked up to, and then to kind of have the roles reversed and now be the person that kids were looking up to. It was not a position that you could plan on being in necessarily. It comes organically, and kids either like you or they don’t.”

What are all those signs?

Trademark, a Valley brand art company, creates all of the signs at the WM Phoenix Open, from basic crowd control signs to those impressive titles at hospitality tents. We’re going to go behind-the-scenes to watch these designs come to life.

The company is behind many signs you may spot around the Valley, such as signs at Footprint Center, Sloan Park and Sky Harbor Airport! One of Trademark’s biggest clients yearly is the WM Phoenix Open. Staff spend months working on the signs and installations in preparation for the big event.

Race to the 16

It’s a tradition at the WM Phoenix Open — the race to the 16! Fans who travel far and wide come to one of the Valley’s biggest events to grab a seat at the coveted Hole 16. Fans get a spot in line at the gates before the sun rises, or even the night before!

As soon as the gates open, it’s a half-mile sprint to get a spot in general admission seating at the famous par-3 hole. Scottsdale police officers line the paved runway to prevent collisions. If you’re lucky to get a spot, be prepared because you’re in for a party!

The Famous Hole 16

Many people sprint to Hole 16, but why is it so famous? The 16th Hole is among the most exciting spots on the PGA TOUR. Guests can follow play from tee to green while enjoying an elaborate buffet and cocktails.

Fans adorn the exclusive Skybox 16, which overlooks the 16th hole and provides a breathtaking panoramic view of the entire WM Phoenix Open.

At the Annexus Pro-Am on Wednesday, fans lined the fairway to watch star-studded celebrities and athletes such as Luke Bryan, Jelly Roll, Aaron Rodgers, Larry Fitzgerald and more tee it off.

Feasting on the fairway

When you have nearly a million people to feed, how does staff make it happen every year at the WM Phoenix Open? M Culinary Kitchen helps feed all those mouths and prepares thousands of pieces of steak, salmon, pasta, desserts and more.

“We have a phenomenal team here, 100%, and we’ve been prepping for the last couple of months now getting into this, the Phoenix Open. It’s quite the monster, and it’s like we enjoy doing every year and kind of the theme of this year is ‘better not bigger,’” said Chef Cody with M Culinary Kitchen. “There’s about 24,000 pieces of salmon, about 25,000 pounds of chicken alone going out across the whole area, and I have a great team over here that is supporting me every single day.”

This year, M Culinary Kitchen is debuting three new dishes for fans to try — shar sweet pork, turmeric lentil butter chicken and succotash and Cajun spice salmon. The shar sweet pork is torched to create a glaze and then is topped with wonton crisps and green onion.

The turmeric lentil butter chicken features crispy chickpeas, tomato chutney and cilantro. Last but not least, the succotash and Cajun spice salmon is topped with a cucumber muddle to balance the spice.

History of the Open

Our story starts in 1932, when Arizona was just 20 years old. Bob Goldwater’s vision was to bring a golf tournament to the Valley of the Sun.

By 1935, funding had dried up, but a newly-formed civic group, The Thunderbirds, entered the scene. Just four short years later, Phoenix became a pro golf destination. Goldwater leaned on Hollywood to help grow golf in Arizona, which helped the event gain television sponsorship.

In the 1960s, golf had grown immensely, thanks to Arnold Palmer winning three straight Phoenix Open tournament titles. In 1987, the tournament moved to TPC Scottsdale, where it’s sat for nearly four decades.

As attendance grew yearly, so did the party. Course fashion became a story every year, along with the Birds Nest concerts attracting some of the biggest names in music. The Pro-Am brought out celebrities and athletes from all over the globe, playing golf in Arizona.

But in 1997, that’s when the world shook at TPC Scottsdale. Tiger Woods hit one of the most memorable shots in the history of golf — a hole in one at Hole 16.

The event has continued to grow the past decade, despite changes to professional golf. The story of the WM Phoenix Open seems like it will only pick up steam heading toward the future.

Who would have thought a tournament that lacked funding would soon become a bucket list item for many sports fans. Now, Goldwater is known as the “Father of the Phoenix Open.”

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