Tiger Woods' decision to play in the PGA Tour Waste Management Phoenix Open is "already paying dividends for the Scottsdale tournament and is expected to boost attendance along with Super Bowl XLIX being played the same weekend in Glendale," according to Mike Sunnucks of the PHOENIX BUSINESS JOURNAL. Tournament Chair Danny Calihan said that more tickets, hospitality suites and other packages "have been sold since Woods announced he would play" in the event for the first time since '01. He said that Woods' presence "will translate into more fans for Wednesday's pro-am as well the first two rounds of the tourney." Thunderbirds spokesperson Rob Myers, whose organization runs the tournament, said that attendance also "will benefit from Super Bowl fans being in town this year." Myers: "If the weather is good, we were expecting a 5 to 7 percent bump in attendance with the Pro Bowl and Super Bowl in town. Now, add Tiger Woods to the mix and you'd expect that number to go higher." Myers and Calihan declined to "peg a specific number to the attendance benefits" (BIZJOURNALS.com, 1/12). GOLF WORLD MONDAY's John Strege wondered if the combination of Woods' presence and the Super Bowl being in town would mean "yet another" attendance mark for the tournament. The event in '14 "announced a one-day record of 189,722 for Saturday (and 563,008 for the week). Strege: "Is a 200,000-spectator day in play?" (GOLF WORLD MONDAY, 1/13).
LIKE A PHOENIX FROM THE FLAMES: GOLF.com's weekly roundtable discussed Woods' decision to play the event. Golf magazine Senior Editor Joe Passov said, "Phoenix fans are starved for Tiger. He'll get crowd love, great greens, most likely good weather, decent pace of play. Really, it's an ideal way to open the year." He noted Woods has been away from the tourney "far too long," though he acknowledged that was due to "too many incidents, and the circus-like environment at the WMPO." SI's Jeff Ritter: "The scene at the par-3 16th will be as wild as ever, and I think the fans (and event organizers) will be sure to let Woods know they appreciate his return to Scottsdale. It's going to be electric." SI's Alan Shipnuck added, "That week was already gonna be a sh*tshow, Tiger will just make it slightly more so." SI's Gary Van Sickle: "It was going to be a big flame, anyway. Now it's even bigger. He'll get a great reception" (GOLF.com, 1/12).
