The 90th edition of the WM Phoenix Open is in progress Thursday at TPC Scottsdale.
Known as “The People’s Open,” the event draws annual headlines for its raucous crowds and party atmosphere. Last year, the scene went too far, with 54 arrests as overcrowding marred the tournament. Organizers are aiming for the right balance, with a series of reforms aimed at maintaining the entertainment factor while minimizing the chaos.
Leaderboard: WM Phoenix Open
On the course, world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is taking aim at his third Phoenix Open title in four years.
Charley Hoffman’s superfans take center stage
Last year’s WM Phoenix Open runner-up Charley Hoffman made waves as he went from underdog to a playoff against eventual winner Nick Taylor in the final round.
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While Hoffman made his way through the course, people started noticing and taking pictures with four men dressed as Hoffman, complete with long blonde wigs, WM shirts and green pants.
The group, which hails from San Diego and San Francisco, has been following Hoffman’s career since the early 2000s. All four have full-time jobs and families, but they attend as many events as they can to see Hoffman.
“He kind of reminds me of an everyman player. He’s just done this for so long,” Matthew Charles said. “He’s won a couple of tournaments, but he’s always in it. He’s made a legitimate career of being a professional golfer without big notoriety. He’s not one of the biggest names, but he’s a professional so it’s great to see.”
When Hoffman made his remarkable run last year and nearly ended an eight-year drought, the group was surprisingly absent. However, they were glued to their screens while at another major event.
“We were at the Super Bowl watching him on the phone while the Super Bowl was going on,” Ross Williams said. “Even though we’re San Francisco 49ers fans, our priority was watching Charley in this tournament live when he went to the playoff … It was exhilarating.”
Hoffman still hasn’t won a tournament since last year and finished Thursday’s first round 2-over.
-Jenna Ortiz
Justin Thomas finishes strong on Day 1
Justin Thomas signed his scorecard second on the leader board after one round of the first day of play at the WM Phoenix Open.
Thomas had six birdies, including one that got him to 5-under-par on his last hole. He was one-over after four holes but found a rhythm.
“Staying patient is important out here, because you can make a lot of birdies but you can get a little aggressive or take on some unnecessary risks,” Thomas said.
-Jose M. Romero
Rasmus Hojgaard falters down stretch
Early on, Rasmus Hojgaard was playing fantastic, carding an eagle on his 12th hole to get to 5-under and retake the lead for the moment.
But Hojgaard bogeyed his final two holes and ended his opening round tied for sixth at 3-under par. His third shot of his 18th hole bounced back toward him as he attempted to get onto the green, and he needed two putts to end it with a five on the par-four ninth hole.
Still the day had to be somewhat encouraging for the native of Denmark, who came in ranked 107th in the FedEx Cup standings.
“I was hitting it well into the greens, gave myself some good birdie looks and rolled the putter nicely,” Hjoogard said. “That’s what got the round started there in the first nine holes, and then from there it was a bit more of a struggle.
-Jose M. Romero
‘Sleepy’ No. 16 has yet to erupt
As the morning progressed Thursday, the notorious wild crowd at the 16th hole of the WM Phoenix Open had yet to reach full throat.
Fans adhered to the signs asking to be quiet, and saved comments, remarks and noise for between players’ putts. The boos for off-target tee shots were there, as were the cheers for balls hit near the pin.
Nick Taylor, last year’s WM Phoenix Open champion, was serenaded with Canada’s national anthem during his tee shot at 16. Taylor is from Winnipeg.
The suites at 16 were far from being full, but the general admission area was packed. When Jordan Spieth landed his tee shot a few feet from the hole, the crowd chanted “You did great! You did great!”
Then Spieth missed the birdie putt.
“I’m disappointed!” a fan screamed.
Some players tossed their golf balls into the crowd to cheers; others, like Hideki Matsuyama, stayed emotionless and walked into the tunnel leading to the 17th hole without any gestures to the fans.
When the group of Sepp Straka, Sungjae Im and Sam Burns teed off, the giant video boards went dark, so some fans didn’t know who they were watching. That led to some chants of “Turn the screens on!”
Through nine holes, Jake Knapp was at 4 under par, chasing Christiaan Bezuidenhout and Rasmus Hojgaard of Denmark at 5-under.
Hojgaard eagled No. 3 and is now playing his 14th hole of the day.
—Jose M. Romero
Hojgaard takes early lead
Thursday’s early wave of players was led by Rasmus Hojgaard of Denmark, who was at 3 under par through four holes, with a one-stroke lead over Ben Kohles and Rafael Campos. Follow along here for more live updates throughout the day.
