By The Associated Press undefined
Golf’s “Greatest Show on Grass” and the showcase of America’s biggest sport collide this week in Phoenix. The WM Phoenix Open prefers to be held the same week as the Super Bowl. This will be the first time since 2015 that both are held in the Phoenix area. The Phoenix Open already has the largest attendance of PGA Tour events. Now it’s an elevated event. That means it has a $20 million purse and a strong field, featuring eight of the top 10 players in the world. The European tour goes to Singapore for a new tournament. The PGA Tour Champions return to Morocco.
PGA TOUR
WM PHOENIX OPEN
Site: Scottsdale, Arizona.
Course: TPC Scottsdale. Yardage: 7,261. Par: 71.
Prize money: $20 million. Winner’s share: $3.6 million.
Television: Thursday-Friday, 3-7 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday, 1-3 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3-6:30 p.m. (CBS); Sunday, 1-3 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3-6 p.m. (CBS).
Defending champion: Scottie Scheffler.
FedEx Cup leader: Jon Rahm.
Last week: Justin Rose won the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
Notes: Already the PGA Tour event with the largest attendance, the Phoenix Open now is an elevated event with a $20 million purse. … The Super Bowl and Phoenix Open are in town the same week for the first time since 2015. … The field features eight of the top 10 in the world. Missing are Cameron Smith, suspended because he signed with LIV Golf, and Will Zalatoris. … Scottie Scheffler beat Patrick Cantlay in a playoff last year for his first PGA Tour victory. That was the start of Scheffler winning four times over the next two months and rising to No. 1 in the world. … Rory McIlroy makes his first PGA Tour start of 2023. He won the Hero Dubai Desert Classic two weeks ago on the European tour. … One of the sponsor exemptions went to Ricky Barnes, who played college golf at Arizona. He has never won on the PGA Tour and hasn’t registered a top 10 in just over five years. … The field is 134 players, two over the typical limit, to account for players who finished among the top 125 in the FedEx Cup last year.
Next week: Genesis Invitational.
Online: https://www.pgatour.com/
EUROPEAN TOUR
SINGAPORE CLASSIC
Site: Singapore.
Course: Laguna National Golf Resort. Yardage: 7,471. Par: 72.
Prize money: $2 million. Winner’s share: $333,333.
Television: Thursday-Friday, 12:30-5:30 a.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, midnight to 4:30 a.m. (Golf Channel).
Defending champion: New tournament.
Race to Dubai leader: Victor Perez.
Last week: Daniel Gavins won the Ras al Khaimah Championship.
Notes: The Singapore Classic is new to the European tour and starts a two-week swing through Asia, followed by the Thailand Classic. … The Singapore Classic was on the Asian Tour schedule from 2010 through 2012, played on a different golf course. … The field is led by Ryan Fox of New Zealand, who last year was voted the European tour player of the year in a vote by his peers. … Adrian Otaegui of Spain, who was 47th on the LIV Golf money list at just over $1.2 million last year, is in the field. … Taiga Semikawa, who won twice on the Japan Golf Tour while still an amateur in college, is playing in Singapore. He had three straight starts on the PGA Tour and made the cut at the Sony Open and the Farmers Insurance Open. … T.K. Chantananuwat, the 15-year-old Thai amateur, is playing for the second straight week. He made the cut last week in the Saudi International on the Asian Tour.
Next week: Thailand Classic.
Online: https://www.europeantour.com/dpworld-tour/
PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS
TROPHY HASSAN II
Site: Rabat, Morocco.
Course: Royal Golf Dar Es Salam. Yardage: 7,638. Par: 73.
Prize money: $2 million. Winner’s share: $320,000.
Television: Thursday-Saturday, 8-11 a.m. (Golf Channel).
Previous winner: Brett Quigley (2020).
Charles Schwab Cup leader: Steve Stricker.
Last event: Steve Stricker won the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai.
Notes: The PGA Tour Champions returns to Morocco for the first time since 2020 because of COVID-19 travel restrictions. Brett Quigley returns to the site of his only PGA Tour or Champions victory. … One of the sponsor exemptions went to Roger Chapman of England, who won two senior majors — the PGA and U.S. Open — in 2012. … Bernhard Langer is in the field, another chance for the German to try to tie Hale Irwin’s record with his 45th career victory on the PGA Tour Champions. … Schwab Cup champion Steve Alker makes his first start since disclosing his caddie was diagnosed with terminal cancer. … The tournament starts on Thursday and ends on Saturday. That gives players an extra day to travel back to the United States for the next tournament. … Tim O’Neal is among those making his PGA Tour Champions debut as a member after earning his card through the qualifying tournament last year.
Next week: Chubb Classic.
Online: https://www.pgatour.com/champions.html
KORN FERRY TOUR
ASTARA GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP
Site: Bogota, Colombia.
Course: Country Club de Bogota (Lagos). Yardage: 7,237. Par: 71.
Prize money: $1 million. Winner’s share: $180,000.
Television: None.
Previous winner: Brandon Matthews.
Points leader: Chandler Phillips.
Last week: Pierceson Coody won the Panama Championship.
Next event: Club Car Championship on March 23-26.
Online: https://www.pgatour.com/korn-ferry-tour/
LPGA TOUR
Last tournament: Brooke Henderson won the Tournament of Champions.
Next tournament: Honda LPGA Thailand on Feb. 23-26.
Race to CME Globe leader: Brooke Henderson.
Online: https://www.lpga.com/
OTHER TOURS
Asian Tour: International Series Oman, Al Mouj Golf, Muscat, Oman. Defending champion: New tournament. Online: https://asiantour.com/
Sunshine Tour and Challenge Tour: Dimension Data Pro-Am, Fancourt Golf Estate, George, South Africa. Previous winner: Alexander Knappe. Online: https://sunshinetour.com/ and https://www.europeantour.com/challenge-tour/
Ladies European Tour: Lalla Meryem Cup, Royal Golf Dar Es Salam (Blue), Rabat, Morocco. Defending champion: Nuria Iturrioz. Online: https://ladieseuropeantour.com/
PGA Tour of Australasia: Vic Open, 13th Beach Golf Links (Beach and Creek), Barwon Heads, Australia. Defending champion: Dimitrios Papadatos. Online: https://pga.org.au/
