Scottie’s Desert Redemption: Why the Phoenix Open Still Matters in the Modern Tour

I’ve been coming to TPC Scottsdale since 1991, back when the crowds were smaller and the 16th hole was just starting to develop its reputation as golf’s ultimate party venue. Thirty-five years into this business, I can tell you that what happens in the desert this week—and specifically what Scottie Scheffler does with another chance at redemption—says something important about the state of professional golf in 2026.

Let’s start with the obvious: “Scheffler has bounced back in remarkable fashion, continuing to surge up the Phoenix Open leaderboard and treat Moving Day by the letter of its nickname.” That’s not hyperbole. After what was apparently his first over-par round since June 2025, Scheffler didn’t panic. He didn’t tinker himself into oblivion like so many great players do. He just went back out and executed at a level that most of us in the press box have come to expect from him, which is to say: at a level that makes everyone else’s job harder.

What strikes me most about Scottie’s trajectory isn’t just his dominance—though that’s certainly real and measurable. It’s his willingness to show up at a tournament like Phoenix, where he’s already won twice (2022 and 2023), and treat it like unfinished business. Having caddied back in the ’90s, I saw plenty of players coast on past victories. Not this guy. In my experience covering the tour for the past three and a half decades, that kind of hunger never gets old, and it never stops being contagious.

The Party Still Sells, Even if It’s Not for Everyone

Here’s what I want to say plainly: “While the event may not be everyone’s cup of tea, those teeing it up this week are well aware of what they’re walking into, and those who embrace the frenzied atmosphere can become beloved figures in the desert.”

That sentence captures something crucial that gets lost in the endless debates about whether the Phoenix Open is “good” or “bad” for professional golf. The tournament isn’t trying to be Augusta National or Pebble Beach. It’s not apologizing for being exactly what it is: the Tour’s biggest party, a Super Bowl weekend spectacle with hundreds of thousands of fans creating a vibe that’s utterly unique on the professional circuit.

I think too many critics miss the point. Yes, there’s drinking. Yes, there’s chaos on the 16th. Yes, it’s occasionally difficult to cover because you’re literally working in the middle of a sporting event that doubles as a neighborhood block party. But you know what else? Players want to win here. Fans want to be here. And sponsors—well, they’re thrilled.

The real insight is that professionals who succeed at Phoenix aren’t the ones who fight the atmosphere. They’re the ones who harness it. Scottie understands this implicitly. He won here twice in three years. Brooks Koepka, making his second appearance of the season in his return to the PGA Tour, has two wins here as well. These aren’t accidents.

A Field Built for Drama, Not Coronations

Beyond Scheffler, this week’s field reads like a who’s-who of players hunting their first Phoenix victory. “Xander Schauffele, Cameron Young, Collin Morikawa, Jordan Spieth, Chris Gotterup, Viktor Hovland and more will all be looking to capture their first WM Phoenix Open victory.” Add Hideki Matsuyama, a two-time winner who knows this place inside and out, and you’ve got genuine intrigue.

That’s the thing about this tournament that often gets overlooked. Yes, Scheffler’s dominance on the PGA Tour is real. But TPC Scottsdale has this wonderful quality of occasionally humbling the favorites. The course itself is fair—it doesn’t protect the top seed the way some majors do. The atmosphere can destabilize players who aren’t mentally prepared for it. And the field depth means that any given Sunday, you could have five or six players within one shot of the lead.

In my experience, that’s the antidote to tour fatigue. When fans believe—truly believe—that someone other than the consensus pick might win, the energy changes. The narratives become richer. The coverage becomes more interesting. Phoenix has always had that quality, and I don’t see it diminishing.

Looking Ahead

The television schedule this week is robust. We’ve got Golf Channel coverage starting at noon both Saturday and Sunday, with CBS taking over the primetime slots from 3 to 6:30 p.m. PGA Tour Live streams will run from 11:30 a.m. all the way through the conclusion. If you’re serious about golf, you’ll have multiple ways to watch this unfold.

What I’ll be watching for isn’t just whether Scheffler can hoist another trophy. I’ll be watching whether this field—with all its talent and all its hunger—can make him work for it. Because that’s when Phoenix is at its best: when the favorite has to earn it against legitimate competition, with a crowd that’s invested and loud and present every single shot.

That’s the Phoenix Open I’ve been covering for three and a half decades. And frankly, I hope it never changes.