By Jace Riley ’16 and William Joseph Borders IV ’16
THE ROUNDUP
The Waste Management Open is one of the biggest PGA tournaments held in the United States, and with it being in our own backyard it is likely to draw many students.
Every year in late January Phoenix hosts this giant tournament at the Tournament Players Cup, or TPC, of Scottsdale.
This years tournament is from Jan. 25 to Feb. 1.
“I think it brings a lot attention to the great golf that Phoenix has,” said Mr. Jon Shores, Brophy’s golf coach. “From that perspective I think its great for the golf industry in Phoenix.”
Mr. Shores said he thinks its good for his players to go and watch the pro players.
“Its hugely important for them to go,” Mr. Shores said. “See how the professionals manage their game, how they approach certain shots … just take it in by watching.”
The Phoenix Open is not a new event to Chip Getz ’16 or Michael Feagles ’16 who play for Brophy golf.
Both have been attending for a combined 17 years, and both said they are still up and ready to watch the eight day long tournament.
“It’s really exciting seeing all the professionals and seeing what I like to do just at a higher level,” Feagles said. “Hopefully I will be able to play with them this year.”
As a golfer, Feagles sees the game differently.
“You are able to relate more with kind of what they’re doing. It’s not going out there just to watch, you’re sort of watching for specific things,” Feagles said.
Getz also looks at the tournament in a different light.
“I actually know some stuff about the game, I know how to score and what shots are more difficult than others,” Getz said.
Some big names have committed and are ready to compete this February.
“Well I just heard that Tiger Woods is going to play in the Open,” said Getz, “so I will definitely be rooting for him.”
The tournament is hosted by Arizona’s Thunderbirds, a philanthropist group of men from Arizona that help with everything from setup to security.
The open is a charity event. All the net proceeds go to Phoenix Charities.
They’ve reached over $86 million over the years and are projected to hit $100 million by the end of the 2015 tournament, according to The Thunderbirds.
