PHOENIX, AZ. (KNXV) — When you hear of professional golf being played in Phoenix, you often think of the Waste Management Phoenix Open that takes place in February.
A week-long golf spectacle that gives fans one of the most unique golf experiences you can find.
But just a couple of months earlier, the tamer side of professional golf here in the Valley makes its way to the Phoenix Country Club, offering fans a totally different type of experience.
Executive director of the Charles Schwab Cup Championship Tiffany Nelson-Thorne describes this week of golf at the Phoenix Country Club perfectly
"We're kind of the black tie affair of professional golf here in Arizona," Nelson-Thorne told ABC 15. "You can get up close and personal to these golfers, and they're so friendly with kids and signing autographs. They just love it."
For many golf fans, you’ll see out here all weekend that the weather and relaxed vibes the Charles Schwab Championship brings are unmatched.
"You get to get close to the players; it's not crowded, one fan said. "You never feel like there's a million people around you. "It's really a great, probably the best one around."
"The low-key allows us to see the players a little bit more and watch them warm up," another fan added. "I'm looking forward to being out on the course and seeing some more up close shots. That's kind of fun too. I know the crowds around the waste management are so large you don't get to see so much of the golf. It's a little harder to spectate."
As for the players, unlike the regular PGA Tour, you have to be over the age of 50 to be on the Tour of Champions. But that gives fans an opportunity to see the guys they grew up watching on TV up close and personal
"The guys playing in the tournament today and this weekend I grew up watching. And so it's nice to be like shoulder to shoulder with these guys that I've watched my whole life," a fan told ABC 15.
Regardless of if your preference is the Waste Management Open or the Charles Schwab Cup Championship. Both events prove that Phoenix is built for professional golf
"It's just fantastic because, because of all the people that come here, that live here, that play golf. Two events? There should be more actually," another fan says. "Should be more, like maybe the Ryder Cup, maybe the, maybe the President's Cup should come here to Phoenix."
Stewart Cink and Zach Johnson are paired up and competing for the Charles Schwab Cup.
Cink is looking to repeat as champion, and Zach Johnson is looking for his first. So, some really good golf to check out at the Phoenix Country Club.
