A look at the week ahead in golf
PGA TOUR
WASTE MANAGEMENT PHOENIX OPEN
Site: Scottsdale, Ariz.
Course: TPC Scottsdale. Yardage: 7,261. Par: 71.
Purse: $7.3 million. Winner’s share: $1,314,000.
Television: Thursday-Friday, 3-7 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 1-2:45 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3-6 p.m. (CBS).
Defending champion: Rickie Fowler.
FedEx Cup leader: Justin Thomas.
Last week: Marc Leishman won the Farmers Insurance Open.
Notes: The field features seven of the top 20 in the world ranking, including Justin Thomas, Jon Rahm and Xander Schauffele. … Rahm can go to No. 1 with a victory, provided Brooks Koepka finishes out of the top four in Saudi Arabia. … Missing from the Phoenix Open for the first time since 1990 is Phil Mickelson, who is taking appearance money to play in the Saudi International this week. … Eight players from the U.S. Presidents Cup team are playing. … Rahm played all four years at Arizona State and lives in Scottsdale with his wife, Kelly. … Charl Schwartzel, sidelined for much of last year with a wrist injury, makes his first PGA Tour start since the RBC Heritage last April. The former Masters champion missed the cut in his two European Tour starts this year. … Ryder Cup captain Steve Stricker is playing for the third straight week. He missed the cut in The American Express and at Torrey Pines. … Bryson DeChambeau makes his first PGA Tour start of the year after two weeks in the Middle East.
Next week: AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
Online: www.pgatour.com