Kuchar commits to WM Phoenix Open
Matt Kuchar, fresh off a win at the Sony Open in Hawaii last weekend for his second win in two months, is the latest big-name golfer to commit to the 2019 Waste Management Phoenix Open.
Kuchar now has nine PGA Tour victories and is up to No. 22 in the Official World Golf Rankings.
Kuchar, a member of four Ryder Cup teams, will make his 10th appearance in the Phoenix Open. He has three top-10s in the event, including a tie for fifth last year.
No. 21 Alex Noren has also committed. Based on the world rankings, the Phoenix Open now has four of the top-10 (Justin Thomas, 4; Xander Schauffele, 6; Jon Rahm, 7; Tony Finau, 10) as well as 11 of of the top-25 and 20 of the top-50 golfers in world.
A field of 132 players will tee it up and compete for the $1,278,000 first-place check.
PGA Tour members have until 5 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 25, to commit to play in the tournament, Jan. 28–Feb. 3 at TPC Scottsdale.
Korean golfer with crazy swing will not get Phoenix Open exemption
Ho-Sung Choi, a 45-year-old Korean golfer who became a social-media sensation for his crazy swing, will not be coming to TPC Scottsdale on a sponsor exemption.
“With a limited field of 132 players, it is difficult to narrow down more than 50 requests for the five sponsor invites we hand out each year,” tournament chairman Chance Cozby said. “We certainly respect Ho-Sung Choi and his accomplishments.”
On Monday, Choi received a sponsor exemption to play in this week’s AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
The Phoenix Open exemptions that have gone out are going to two former tournament champions — Hunter Mahan (2010) and Aaron Baddeley (2007) — as well as amateur Matt Wolff, who shared medalist honors last summer while leading top-ranked Oklahoma State to the NCAA championship.
A petition has been circulating online, pushing for Choi to receive an exemption to play at Phoenix Open. It was originated and signed by Derek Deminsky, director of instruction at 49er Country Club in Tucson.
As of Tuesday afternoon, more than 6,000 people signed the petition, with a goal of hitting 7,500.
New NBC tech starts at Phoenix Open
The NBC Sports Group and Topgolf Entertainment are unveiling a new technology partnership which they are hoping will bring golfers and casual fans closer to the sport.
The multiyear agreement includes the expansion of Toptracer as the network’s ball-tracking technology for PGA Tour telecasts on NBC and The Golf Channel.
Toptracer tracks the golf ball’s flight and can provide information such as ball speed, apex, curve and carry.
NBC will have exclusive use of Toptracer on all 18 holes, beginning with the Waste Management Phoenix Open.
PGA TOUR DESERT CLASSIC
Stadium Course; Nicklaus Tournament Course; La Quinta Country Club; La Quinta, Calif. Thursday-Sunday, 1-4 p.m., Golf Channel.
The first stop on the PGA Tour West Coast Swing, the Desert Classic lacks a full-time sponsor and was last known as the CareerBuilder Challenge. … Jon Rahm won the event last year on the fourth playoff hole, defeating Andrew Landry. It was Rahm’s second PGA Tour victory and his sixth professional win . ... The Desert Classic is played across three courses and features a 54-hole cut, with the final round held on the Stadium Course . ... the Tour goes down the coast to Torrey Pines next week for the Farmers Insurance Open before heading to TPC Scottsdale for the Waste Managment Phoenix Open. — Associated Press