If there’s an opposite to the familiar phrase, “Nothing to see here,” it’s the experience of the WM Phoenix Open. And it’s arrived.

It’s nestled in between the second and third Signature Events of the 2025 PGA TOUR season, and it’s merely the most-attended golf tournament in the world. From “The Coliseum” to the perfect weather, from the nightlife to its pregame slot for Super Bowl LIX, there is something for everyone.

How TPC Scottsdale’s Stadium Course sets up, expectations and more are below the rankings of those projected to contend.

Power Rankings for WM Phoenix Open

Rank	Players	Comment
15	Sam StevensUnited States of America	Methodically scaling the ranks and off to a brilliant start. Already 4-for-4 with a runner-up finish at the Farmers Insurance Open and a T17 last week. Eleven consecutive cuts made upon arrival; T28 in debut here last year.
14	Matt FitzpatrickEngland	His form across the last eight months has been uncharacteristically lackluster, so TPC Scottsdale could be exactly the elixir the Englishman needs. Since his debut in 2022, he’s finished a respective T10, T29 and T15.
13	Akshay BhatiaUnited States of America	As he navigates through his third season on the PGA TOUR, he’s been choosier with his playing time and rightfully so after advancing to his first TOUR Championship in 2024. T22 last week is a cue. Thrives on open tracks.
12	Sahith TheegalaUnited States of America	Not that his early success was unexpected, but he’s also come a long way from the heartbreak of a T3 as a debutant in 2022. He added a solo fifth last year, so TPC Scottsdale arrives at a great time as his game needs a jolt.
11	Billy HorschelUnited States of America	Hasn’t missed an edition since first qualifying in 2013, and why would he? He’s 11-for-12 with two top 10s among five top 25s. Arrives having a T21 at The American Express and a T9 at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
10	Charley HoffmanUnited States of America	It was at TPC Scottsdale last year where he took a dip in the “Fountain of Youth” en route to a P2. That form has been sustainable for the veteran, who’s now 48 years old. Already 3-for-3 in 2025 with a T5 at PGA WEST.
9	Andrew NovakUnited States of America	Keeps on keepin’ on. Paced non-winners at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am with a share of 13th place. That came on the heels of a solo third at the Farmers Insurance Open. Debuted at TPC Scottsdale last year with a T8.
8	Justin ThomasUnited States of America	Settled for a T48 last week after sitting No. 1 in the Power Rankings. A third-round 74 on breezy Pebble Beach was the culprit, but hopes remain high. Since 2018, he’s 7-for-7 here with four top 10s and no worse than a T17.
7	Nick TaylorCanada	Even if he wasn’t the defending champion after taking solo second the year prior, a dynamite start to 2025 is enough reason to elevate expectations. Won in a playoff on Oahu and finished T12 in the Coachella Valley.
6	Sepp StrakaAustria	Dialed in. The warmer, drier air in Scottsdale also should help him recover from the illness through which he played en route to a T7 at Pebble Beach. He had been bidding to go back-to-back after winning The American Express.
5	Sungjae ImSouth Korea	The only golfer with multiple top fives already this season (third, The Sentry; T4, Farmers) has picked up where he left off in 2024. He’s also 5-for-5 at the WM Phoenix Open with two top 10s and a T17.
4	Tom KimSouth Korea	Given how evident it is that he thrives off the energy of the crowd, he’s built for what TPC Scottsdale delivers. In his second start last year, he rallied for a T17 after opening with 3-over 74. Fresh off a T7 at Pebble Beach.
3	Sam BurnsUnited States of America	Although he was T22 here in 2021, he opened the event 1-for-4. It’s been a reversal the last two years with a T6 (2023), a T3 (2024) and a scoring average of 67.38. His strong putting plays up even more on bigger greens.
2	Hideki MatsuyamaJapan	The winner of The Sentry has since slipped to second in the FedExCup, but he loves himself some TPC Scottsdale, so it’d be surprising if he doesn’t regain the lead. He’s 10-for-11 with two wins and a T2 among eight top 25s.
1	Scottie SchefflerUnited States of America	With competitive juices renewed, it’s time to position him atop the Power Rankings again. Get used to it. In the last four editions of the WM Phoenix Open, he’s been beaten by eight golfers … total. Winner in 2022 and 2023.

You won’t know it when you tune into live coverage of the course presenting its best self throughout the tournament, but Mother Nature delivered a series of punches that has made even the most extreme of annual cycles in the Valley of the Sun reason to blush.

After enduring 113 consecutive daytime highs of at least 100 degrees from late May through mid-September last year, a string of 21 straight record highs extended from late September through mid-October. Spanning both heat waves and extending into last Tuesday (Jan. 28), Phoenix was without measurable rain for 159 days in a row, one off the record set 53 years ago. Meanwhile, this week, a primarily cloudless sky will allow temperatures to eclipse 70 degrees, and winds will be light. Dead solid perfect at last.

If last year’s WM Phoenix Open was the omen, perhaps locals should have expected hotter heat than usual. Nick Taylor and Charley Hoffman concluded regulation last year at 21-under 263. It established the record low in the 10 years since Tom Weiskopf renovated his co-creation with Jay Moorish. As he’s prone to do, Taylor prevailed in a playoff. ‘Twas just another episode of “Nick ignite.”

The Chamber of Commerce conditions promise the fairest and most consistent test that the field of 132 demands. But there’s a new wrinkle to it that probably leaves last year’s scoring average of 69.895 out of reach on the par 71.

The familiar two-inch rough has been allowed to grow to 3 1/2 inches this year. Bermudagrass greens that will run the full 12 feet on the Stimpmeter average about 7,000 square feet, so they’re still inviting enough on approach to encourage risk off the tee. There are no other changes, so TPC Scottsdale still tips at 7,261 yards. Because the entire course is overseeded, native colors are reserved for the desert landscape.

Muscle memory has mattered at TPC Scottsdale before and after the renovation. All of the last nine winners logged at least one start on it before rising to victory.