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Every February, the quietest corner of North Scottsdale turns into the loudest golf tournament in the world. The WM Phoenix Open takes over TPC Scottsdale for a full week, and even if you’re not a golf person, it’s worth going once just to hear the 16th hole for yourself. Sherrie and I put this guide together for friends and readers who keep asking the same questions: when is it, how do tickets work, where do you park, and where should you eat before or after.
Everything below comes from the tournament’s own website and fact sheet, the PGA TOUR and TPC Scottsdale, and we’ve linked the official pages so you can double-check before you go. Times, prices and parking plans can change as tournament week gets closer, so give the official WM Phoenix Open site one more look the week you go.
It’s a PGA TOUR event and part of the FedExCup season, and it’s old. The 2027 tournament is the 92nd edition. It was first played in 1932, and the tournament says that makes it the fifth-oldest event on the PGA TOUR. The field is 120 players, cut to the low 65 and ties after two rounds, and the 2027 purse is $9.8 million. Chris Gotterup is the defending champion after winning at 16 under in 2026.
What makes it different is the crowd. The tournament calls itself “The People’s Open” and says it draws the largest crowds in golf. WM, the waste and recycling company, is the title sponsor for the 17th year, and the event has been certified zero-waste for 14 years in a row, so you’ll see the sorting bins everywhere. If you can’t make it in person, Golf Channel carries the first two rounds in the afternoon, and CBS picks up the weekend afternoons. The schedule is on the tournament fact sheet.
The tournament is played on the Stadium Course at TPC Scottsdale, at Hayden Road and Bell Road in North Scottsdale, right next door to the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess. Jay Morrish and Tom Weiskopf designed it, it opened in 1986, and Weiskopf redesigned it in 2014. It plays as a par 71 at 7,261 yards for the tournament. You can play it yourself the rest of the year. Our TPC Scottsdale course page has the details, and tee times are on TPC Scottsdale’s website.
The 16th is a short par 3, just 163 yards, but it’s the hole everyone comes to see. For tournament week it’s wrapped in grandstands and skyboxes on every side, and the PGA TOUR calls it the only fully enclosed hole on the PGA TOUR. According to the PGA TOUR’s history of the hole, it started with just five skyboxes and now has nearly 300. Tiger Woods’ famous hole-in-one there is a big part of how it got that way.
The rules of golf etiquette don’t really apply on 16. Fans cheer a shot that finds the green and boo one that misses, and the hole has a well-earned party reputation. The general admission seats are first come, first served, and the tournament’s advice is to get in line early, especially on Friday and Saturday. Early arrivals on those mornings should use the Main Entrance. The die-hards who show up at dawn are known as the Breakfast Club.
Even with the party atmosphere, the tournament takes its fan code of conduct seriously. Taunting players, throwing things or being disruptive can get you ejected without a refund. And keep your phone on silent: the tournament asks fans not to live stream.
Buy from the official site or its ticketing partner, AXS. Tournament general admission and Birds Nest tickets are mobile tickets, so have the AXS app set up on your phone before you leave home. If you don’t have a smartphone, Guest Services on site can help. Here’s what’s on sale for 2027:
This one matters to us. The Thunderbirds offer complimentary tournament admission to active, reserve, Guard, veteran and retired U.S. military, plus active law enforcement, firefighters and EMTs, and each can bring one guest. You verify through Vet Tix (military) or 1st Tix (first responders). Registration opens in January, tickets are limited each day, and a delivery fee applies. Military members can also visit the Birdies for the Brave Patriots Outpost near the 18th tee, Wednesday through Sunday, with complimentary food and drinks for themselves and one guest. Official ID is required. All the details are on the veterans tickets page.
The tournament lists all times as subject to change. Check the official 2027 event schedule.
Here’s the one thing to know before you drive: general parking isn’t reached from the Hayden Road or Scottsdale Road exits. The tournament reserves those Loop 101 exits for ADA access and credentialed passes because of traffic restrictions on 78th Street and Mayo Boulevard. Exit the 101 at Princess Boulevard or Bell Road instead, and follow the signs and parking staff.
Parking plans and lot days can shift as the tournament gets closer, so check the spectator info page the week you go. We’d plan on traffic around Bell Road and the 101 on Friday and Saturday, and take the shuttle rather than hunting for a closer spot.
The bag rules are strict, and this is where people get turned around at the gate. Opaque bags, including backpacks, camera bags and chair bags, can’t be bigger than 6 by 6 by 6 inches. Clear plastic or vinyl bags can’t be bigger than 12 by 6 by 12 inches. The PGA TOUR prohibited items list has the rest.
February is usually lovely here, but mornings are cold. NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for Phoenix Sky Harbor put the average February high around 71°F and the low around 49°F, and with the gates opening at 7 a.m. you’ll feel that low. Dress in layers you can peel off by lunch: a jacket or hoodie over a T-shirt, and maybe a beanie for the early line on 16. The desert sun is strong even in winter. If storms move in, the tournament uses air horns: one long blast, repeated once, means play is suspended and you should find shelter, and two short blasts, repeated, mean play has resumed.
The tournament is hosted by The Thunderbirds, a Phoenix civic group that started in 1937 and keeps 55 active members. They run the event, and the proceeds go to Arizona charities through Thunderbirds Charities, mostly to groups that help kids and families. The 2026 tournament raised a record $20.1 million, and the total since the tournament began is more than $246 million. Recent beneficiaries include First Tee of Phoenix, Special Olympics Arizona, Valleywise Medical, Fresh Start Women’s Foundation and Valley Youth Theatre. So whatever you spend out there, a good share of it stays in the Valley.
There’s plenty of food inside the gates, but we’d rather sit down for a real breakfast before or a relaxed dinner after. Bell Road and Hayden Road will be busy during tournament week, so book ahead or plan to eat a little early or late. Each one has a full review here on ScottsdaleRestaurants.com, and in November 2026 we checked that each one is open. Hours change, so look at the restaurant’s own site before you go.
17050 N Thompson Peak Pkwy, Suite 125 (Thompson Peak Parkway and Bell Road)
One of the closest sit-down meals to the tournament, a few minutes east of the course on Bell Road. It’s house-made pasta, a patio with McDowell Mountain views, and the salmon piccata our review singled out. It opens at 11 a.m. every day. sophiaskitchen.com
20581 N Hayden Rd
Part fish market, part restaurant, a few minutes north on Hayden. Get the Green Chile Tuna Melt or a bowl of clam chowder and sit on the patio. It’s an easy, casual lunch on a free Monday or Tuesday.
20511 N Hayden Rd, Suite 100
Fresh, build-it-your-way Asian cooking right next door to Chula. Our review liked the Orchid Ahi Tuna, the dumplings and the Shanghai noodles, and they’ll turn the heat up or down for you.
20343 N Hayden Rd, Suite 120
Street tacos made to order and a salsa bar, and it’s open every day until 2 a.m. After a Birds Nest show or a long Saturday, this is the late-night answer up here.
20775 N Pima Rd, Suite 110 (Market Street at DC Ranch)
For a nicer dinner after the final round. It serves Calabrian and Sicilian cooking with house-made pasta, and our review’s favorites were the Mista salad and the Bolognese lasagna. It’s open from 11 a.m., so it works for lunch, too.
North Italia (Kierland Commons)
15024 N Scottsdale Rd
If you’re staying near Kierland, this is a short drive south of the course. Our review recommends the spicy rigatoni vodka and the Italian butter cake. There’s weekend brunch from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., which is handy on Saturday and Sunday, and they take reservations online.
For more choices nearby, see our guides to eating near DC Ranch and Grayhawk, the best restaurants in North Scottsdale and Scottsdale Quarter.
Tournament week is February 8–14, 2027. The four rounds are Thursday, February 11 through Sunday, February 14, and the Concert in the Coliseum is Saturday, February 6.
General admission is free Monday and Tuesday. It’s $75 plus fees on Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday, and $125 plus fees on Friday and Saturday. Buy on the official general admission page.
Yes. Monday, February 8 and Tuesday, February 9 are Ford Free Days, and no ticket is needed. Kids 15 and under get in free with an adult every day.
General parking is free at the WestWorld lots, with free shuttles, and at Salt River Fields, with shuttles from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Exit the 101 at Princess Boulevard or Bell Road, not Hayden or Scottsdale Road. Check the spectator info page for updates.
Rideshare, taxis and drop-offs use Lot R at the Bell94 Sports Complex, reached from Pima Road.
Opaque bags can be up to 6 by 6 by 6 inches, and clear bags up to 12 by 6 by 12 inches. Anything bigger won’t get through the gate.
The Main and Princess entrances open at 7 a.m., and the Hayden entrance opens at 7:15 a.m.
No. The Coors Light Birds Nest is a separate, 21-and-over concert ticket.
Yes. U.S. military (active, reserve, Guard, veterans and retired) and active first responders can get complimentary admission for themselves and one guest through Vet Tix or 1st Tix. Registration opens in January. See the veterans page.
Arizona charities, through The Thunderbirds and Thunderbirds Charities. The 2026 tournament raised a record $20.1 million.
Details checked November 13, 2026, against the WM Phoenix Open website and its October 2026 fact sheet, the PGA TOUR and TPC Scottsdale. The tournament lists its schedule, prices and parking as subject to change.
