Nicklaus: Pebble will replace Phoenix as designated event
The WM Phoenix Open had a stellar field, a $20 million purse and bragging rights as the first-ever full-field designated event in the PGA Tour’s new scheduling strategy (not that the “People’s Open” needed any help staging another successful event).
According to golf legend Jack Nicklaus, however, the WMPO will not repeat as a designated event in 2024.
Nicklaus joined the NBC Sports broadcast crew during the final round of the Honda Classic on Sunday. That tournament, which has struggled attracting top players in recent years, lost Honda as the title sponsor after 42 years. Nicklaus insisted that better days are ahead for the event, telling Dan Hicks of NBC Sports that the PGA Tour will make significant changes to the 2024 schedule. Those changes will include a new Tour stop in Mexico that will be scheduled after the Genesis Invitational and before the new Honda event.
He went on to say that the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, which like the Honda was suffering from weaker tournament fields in recent years, will replace the WM Phoenix Open as a designated event next year.
Champions tour pro-am celebs
The PGA Tour Champions Cologuard Classic returns to Tucson this week.
The Celebrity Challenge, which occurs during Saturday’s second round, will feature former pro athletes Reggie Bush, Jimmy Rollins, Golden Tate and
Brice Butler. The celebrities will play a five-hole exhibition match, starting at No. 1 and then jumping over to Nos. 15, 16, 17 and 18.
Each celebrity will play in honor of a colon cancer survivor. The event will be hosted by Charlie Rymer, the former PGA Tour pro turned broadcaster and a stage 3 colon cancer survivor.
PopStroke to open first Arizona location
The PopStroke brand keeps growing. PopStroke Entertainment Group announced its Glendale, Arizona, location will open on Thursday at noon. The venue is located in the Westgate area, just north of State Farm Stadium.
The Glendale location will be the seventh in PopStroke’s lineup. A second Arizona venue is on track to open in about six months in the Talking Stick area in Scottsdale.
PopStroke bills itself as a one-of-akind golf experience with two 18-hole putting courses, an outdoor dining area with a food, craft beer, wine and signature cocktails as well as an ice cream parlor, an outdoor game area and a playground.
USGA elects new president
Fred Perpall was elected to serve as the 67th president of the United States Golf Association last Saturday. He is the first Black man to hold that post in the association’s history, dating to 1894.
A native of the Bahamas, Perpall earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Texas-Arlington
and graduated from the Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program. A registered architect, Perpall is CEO of The Beck Group, where he leads the firm’s domestic and international architectural design, planning, real estate consultancy and construction businesses.
Junior golf
Gracie McGovern of Scottsdale and Owen Bolles of Chandler won the girls and boys divisions, respectively, at the 2023 Fisher Bryan Invitational presented by Mina Harigae last week at Longbow Golf Club in Mesa.
McGovern shot 72-75 to edge Eva Heinz of Goodyear by a shot. Carolyn Fuller of Phoenix and Raegan Capizzi of Scottsdale finished tied for third.
Bolles won by a shot over Tyler Spielman of Cave Creek. Camden Braidech of Scottsdale and Adam Miller of Phoenix tied for third.
Chip shots
The LIV Golf League’s first event of 2023 is in the books. There were five former Arizona State golfers — Paul Casey, Pat Perez, Matt Jones, Phil Mickelson, David Puig — in the field. Casey won $1 million for finishing solo fourth, Perez made $610,000 after tying for seventh, Jones tied for 23rd ($167,000), Mickelson tied for 27th ($158,000) and Puig tied for 38th ($139,000) ... at the Honda LPGA Thailand, former Sun Devils Anna Nordqvist tied for 10th, Carlota Ciganda tied for 27th and Linn Grant tied for 38th.