Waste Management Open preview

The PGA Tour is well underway in 2026, and one of the most anticipated early-season tournaments is set to begin Thursday in Scottsdale, Arizona.

TPC Scottsdale will host some of the world’s best golfers for the Waste Management Phoenix Open this weekend. While the event might not have the prestige or history of some other tournaments on the Tour calendar, it’s grown to become a fan favorite.

Around half a million fans attend the event each February, and in 2016, the tournament set a PGA Tour single-day attendance record with 201,003 fans coming through the gates on Saturday.

The highlight of most players’ rounds is the 16th hole, a 162-yard par-3 that is surrounded by 20,000 stadium seats. The atmosphere at the hole has led to legendary moments over the years, with holes-in-one garnering a massive reaction from the crowd that envelops the green.

Last year’s tournament was won by Thomas Detry, who has since gone to LIV Golf, meaning that a new champion will be crowned this weekend. Detry shot -24, winning by seven strokes over Daniel Berger and Michael Kim.

After a dominant win in last week’s Farmers Insurance Open, Justin Rose will not be participating in Scottsdale, but a few big names will be.

The obvious favorite and biggest star in the field is Scottie Scheffler, the current world No. 1 and four-time major champion. He’s won the WM Open twice already, those victories coming back-to-back in 2022 and 2023. The 2022 title was his first win on the PGA Tour, a total that has now climbed to 20.

Scheffler has only made one start in the early weeks of the season, winning The American Express Open by four strokes with a score of -27. He’ll be the clear favorite heading into Scottsdale this weekend.

Brooks Koepka will also be making his second start of the season, and his second consecutive since rejoining the tour earlier this year. He, like Scheffler, has won twice at the WM Open.

Koepka wasn’t at his best in his return to the Tour, finishing T56 at -4 through his four rounds. Being familiar with TPC Scottsdale, it could be a good opportunity for the five-time major champion to get on track.

Other notable names in the field include former champions Rickie Fowler and Hideki Matsuyama, as well as Victor Hovland, Jordan Spieth, Xander Schauffle, Tony Finau and Chris Gotterup.

DraftKings has Scheffler as the heavy favorite, at +220 to secure the title. Next closest is Schauffle at +1850, followed by Cameron Young at +2350 and Matsuyama at +2450.

With bigger tournaments on the horizon, this weekend will be an opportunity for several golfers to build momentum as the season ramps up.

Elliott Inscho is a first-year studying digital and print journalism. To contact him, email eli5026@psu.edu