Tiger Woods Expected To Play In Phoenix Open(Video)

Feb 2, 2014; Scottsdale, AZ, USA; Bubba Watson reacts after hitting his approach shot to the 18th hole during the final round of the Waste Management Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale. Mandatory Credit: Allan Henry-USA TODAY Sports

Golf.com has reported today that two sources have confirmed that Tiger Woods may break a 13 year tradition, and play in the Waste Management Phoenix Open at the end of the month. Woods began skipping this event after a series of incidents involving the tournament’s famously large and raucous galleries.

Tiger typically doesn’t commit to PGA Tour tournaments until the deadline, which in this case would be January 23rd. Woods’ agent, Mark Steinberg responded to a Golf.com inquiry:

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"“Once we have some news, we will be sure to advise.”One source close to WMPO organizers said Woods has reserved his courtesy car for the event, which has officials cautiously optimistic that he intends to play. But Rob Myers, a spokesman for the Thunderbirds organization that hosts the WMPO, said he is unable to confirm that Woods will join the field.“We have heard the rumors, but as of yesterday he is not on the confirmation list,” Myers said.Another well-placed source, who spoke to Golf.com on condition of anonymity, confirmed that Woods has reserved rooms for the week of the tournament at Scottsdale’s upscale Four Seasons Resort."

Tiger Woods is returning from a back injury that derailed his 2014 season, and with what we saw at the Hero Challenge, He needs to get his game in competition shape.

Under direction of his new “Swing Advisor” Chris Como, Tiger’s swing looked much better at Isleworth last month, but a rusty chipping game, and being totally out of tournament shape leaves him with the need to compete somewhere.

It was just a matter of time until the rumors started flying. Tiger usually only plays the Farmers Insurance Open each year, at Torrey Pines, and appears will do so this year as well.

The need to get the rust off his golf game appears to have him surfacing at TPC Scottsdale for the Phoenix Open.

"The Phoenix Open is famous for having the largest galleries on the PGA Tour. Last year’s event drew more than 560,000 fans to TPC Scottsdale’s Stadium Course, including a record one-day attendance of 190,000 for Saturday’s third round. Many of those fans gather at the 16th hole, an amphitheater par-3 that is the center of the tournament’s party atmosphere, and celebrate afterward at the infamous Bird’s Nest nightclub. The hole was also the scene of one of the most enduring highlights of Woods’ career, a hole-in-one in 1997 that generated a thunderous reaction from the boisterous crowd."

I had hoped Tiger Woods would not continue to cherry-pick tournaments at venues where he has had loads of success, and instead, take on a few more of the old venues that he has deserted.

The Waste Management Phoenix Open has been played in the past, on the same weekend as the Super Bowl. Last year, an aggravated Bubba Watson had the trophy in hand until getting in a hurry for the kick-off and made some poor decisions that cost him a win.

He lost in a playoff to Kevin Stadler just minutes before kick-off.

With the 2015 Super Bowl being played in Phoenix as the Phoenix Open winds up, leads one to wonder if Tiger is just making arrangements to attend the game. If he does compete at TPC Scottsdale, the Super Bowl could be the finale’ for a great day.

Source: Golf.com

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