It's a first: WM Phoenix Open announces sellout for Friday, Saturday
For the first time ever, the Thunderbirds have announced a sellout at the WM Phoenix Open.
Pat Williams, the 2023 tournament chairman, said early on Thursday that tickets for Friday's second round, and the third round on Saturday, are sold out.
It’s the first time the tournament at TPC Scottsdale has capped ticket sales for the two busiest days of tournament week. Saturday alone can attract more than 200,000 spectators. (The tournament stopped releasing official attendance numbers in 2018.)
“The fan experience at the WM Phoenix Open is very important to our tournament,” Williams said in a statement. “Maintaining exceptional fan-experience quality is at the forefront of our decision making. With the weather forecast, other high-profile events in town and other factors creating record demand, The Thunderbirds feel the best way to preserve the excitement level at the WM Phoenix Open was to cap attendance on our highest traffic days. This is ‘The People’s Open’ for a reason, and we want to keep it that way.”
General admission tickets for Thursday’s first round and Sunday’s final round are still available. Go to WMPhoenixOpen.com for information.
Round 1 under way after start delayed by frost at TPC Scottsdale
The overnight low in Scottsdale only reached 44 degrees, but that was enough for PGA Tour officials to delay the start of the 2023 WM Phoenix Open on Thursday morning.
Scheduled to begin at 7:15 a.m., round one was delayed twice, first for 90 minutes, and then another 15 was tacked on. The first shots of the 72-hole "Greenest Show on Grass" finally happened shortly after 9 a.m.
Front delays are not unusual in the first two days of this tournament, but this delay, combined with a bulging field of 134 golfers, all but guarantees the first round will not be completed on time. That puts finishing the first two rounds on time in jeopardy, and means the cut might not happen until Saturday morning.
The most significant impact from a frost delay happened in 2011, when frozen ground on Thursday led to the final round not being played until Monday. Mark Wilson beat Jason Dufner on the second playoff hole.
Scottie Scheffler is the defending champion and joins a field that includes eight of the top 10 in the current World Golf Rankings.
Come back to azcentral.com for updates.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: WM Phoenix Open: Tournament officially sold out for Friday, Saturday
