SCOTTSDALE – What will change this year is that the hype surrounding the 16th hole is as big as it ever has been. With the amount of big-name athletes and celebrities in attendance, and everything new with the 16th skyboxes, including the W Scottsdale First Course all-inclusive offering, will surely bring even more of a spotlight to one of the biggest sporting events in the country.
SCOTTSDALE – What will change this year is that the hype surrounding the 16th hole is as big as it ever has been. With the amount of big-name athletes and celebrities in attendance, and everything new with the 16th skyboxes, including the W Scottsdale First Course all-inclusive offering, will surely bring even more of a spotlight to one of the biggest sporting events in the country.
Fans cheer from during round three of the Waste Management Phoenix Open at TPC in Scottsdale on Feb. 8, 2025. © Diannie Chavez/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Why the 16th hole will be even bigger at the 2026 WMO:
Before sunrise in Scottsdale, fans aren’t stretching or warming up; they’re sprinting. The run to the 16th hole at the Waste Management Open has become a ritual, part race, part pilgrimage. In a sport once defined by whispers, this scene feels almost rebellious. And that’s exactly why it works.
Golf fans cheers during the third round of the Waste Management Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale on February 3, 2018. © Cheryl Evans/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
The 16th hole is no longer just a par-3. It’s a pressure chamber. Surrounded by tens of thousands of fans, players face instant feedback with cheers for greatness and loud boos for mistakes, which creates a psychological test unmatched anywhere in golf. Tournament organizers didn’t stumble into this. They leaned into fan behavior, formalized the stadium, expanded capacity, and welcomed celebrities who amplify the energy. The result is a hybrid event of part PGA Tour stop, part cultural gathering, with national visibility and local identity.
Fans fill the stands during round three of the Waste Management Phoenix Open at TPC in Scottsdale on Feb. 8, 2025. © Diannie Chavez/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
For Golf fans, this hole offers ownership. You’re not just watching golf; you’re shaping it. Their reaction matters as noise changes outcomes. That emotional investment keeps people coming back year after year, bringing friends, kids, and first-time golf fans. Sports thrive when they invite fans into the story. The 16th hole proves golf doesn’t lose tradition by going bigger; it gains relevance. In today’s sports landscape, relevance mixed with anticipation, is the most valuable currency of all.
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Reporter Benjamin Bliklen covers the Arizona Diamondbacks, Arizona Cardinals, and Phoenix Suns for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @BenBliklen
Category: General Sports
