The WM Phoenix Open is the only sporting event that is bold enough to rival the Super Bowl as each year its final day falls on the biggest game in America. This atypical golf tournament draws hundreds of thousands each year, and football fans have found their perfect pregame home–at a golf tournament in the Arizona desert.
This unlikely marriage between golf and football culture has created something entirely new to the sports world. The quiet golf clap has been replaced with roars that would make any NFL stadium proud. And for a number of fans, this year's Super Bowl matchup between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs the tournament has become intertwined with their team’s biggest moments.
“Most PGA events are so posh and quiet with the clapping,” Eagles fan Matt Rampersav said. “But here they let people celebrate. It's more of a live sports game– similar to the NFL.”
Rampersav is not alone in this feeling. Howie Hewiett, an Eagles fan and native of Philadelphia said he comes to the WM Phoenix Open for the atmosphere. The last time he attended was in 2018, the same year the Eagles won their first Super Bowl title. When Hewiett found out the Eagles were back in the championship this year, he knew what he had to do.
“My wife said I can come back out this year.” Hewiett said. “I feel it, I think it's our year. I'm staying here until Monday. I can't leave on Sunday because the Birds are playing on Sunday.”
Kansas City has a chance to be the first NFL team to three-peat. Their faithful followers, Joe Fummatalafu and Danny Glover, will be in the stands as they have been in attendance for the past two Super Bowls, but not before making pit-stops at the WM Phoenix Open each year. Their ritual continues for the third year, as they were in attendance for round two action on Friday before they head to New Orleans today.
“Last year’s weather kind of sucked and the year before that,” Glover said. “But this year the weather is beautiful and we have a lot of great memories from these trips.”
The magic lies in how the WM Phoenix Open has managed to strip away golf’s traditionally rigid exterior while maintaining the sport’s core. It’s created a space where two seemingly different sports don’t just coexist, but they feed off each other. The result is a uniquely American sporting event where the lines between fan bases blur, and the only real requirement is to embrace the party.
“I honestly believe it’s the greatest sporting event of all time,” said Chiefs fan Shawn Fox who is originally from Kansas City, but now lives in Maui, Hawaii. “I've been to lots of great sporting events, including the Super Bowl, but this is the most fun I've ever had.”
