‘Golf Liberation Area’ The WM Phoenix Open of the US Professional Golf (PGA) Tour opens on the 9th (Korean time) at TPC Scottsdale (par 71, 7,261 yards) in Scottsdale, Arizona, USA.

Unlike other golf tournaments, the Phoenix Open is famous as a “golf liberation zone” because drinking, cheering, and booing are allowed during the game.

Also, at this year’s Phoenix Open, there is no mention of prize money.

Last year’s total prize money was 8.2 million dollars, but this year’s total prize money has more than doubled to 20 million dollars (approximately 25.09 billion won). If you win, you will receive 3.6 million dollars (about 4.5 billion won).

The reason the prize money has increased so much this year is because the PGA Tour has designated 17 tournaments in the 2022-2023 season as “special events.”

It is part of the carrot book issued to players to prevent top rankers from leaving the LIV series, which was launched last year with the support of Saudi Arabian capital.

The 17 tournaments consisted of four major tournaments, the Players Championship, called the ‘fifth major’, three FedEx Cup playoff tournaments on the PGA Tour, and nine general tournaments.

Among the 17 tournaments, only the Sentry Champions tournament held in January this year has a total prize money of 15 million dollars, and all other tournaments boast a scale of over 20 million dollars.

The Sentry Champions Tournament is a tournament with a small number of participants because only players who won last year or advanced to the Tour Championship at the end of the season can compete.

The first ‘special tournament’ to be held following the Sentry Champions Tournament is this week’s Phoenix Open.

In these ‘special tournaments’, top rankers are virtually obliged to appear.

Players who ranked in the top 20 of the PGA Tour Player Impact Index last season can only miss one out of 17 tournaments. 메이저놀이터

World No. 1 Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland) also made the Phoenix Open his first PGA Tour event this year.

World No. 2 Scotty Scheffler (USA) experienced his first personal PGA Tour win at this event last year, and world No. 3 Jon Rahm (Spain) graduated from Arizona State University and lives in this area.

There are 18 players among the top 20 in the world rankings, but the two missing are No. 4 Cameron Smith (Australia), a member of the LIV series, and No. 8 Will Jaratoris (USA), a member of the PGA Tour, who took a break this week.

As for Korean players, Lim Seong-jae (25), Kim Joo-hyung (21), Kim Si-woo (28), and Lee Gyeong-hoon (32) will participate.

Lee Kyung-hoon has a history of winning runner-up in this competition in 2021.

During the same period, the Asian Tour International Series Oman (total prize money of $2 million) will be held in Muscat, Oman, with Brooks Koepka (USA), Joaquin Niemann (Chile), Louis Oosthuizen (South Africa), Sergio Garcia (Spain), and Graeme McDowell (North Korea). Ireland) and other players from the LIV series.

Also, at the Oman Asian Tour, Kim Bio (33), Bae Sang-moon (37), Seo Yo-seop (27), Park Sang-hyun (40), Ok Tae-hun (25), Kim Min-gyu (22), Jang Geun (30), Lee Tae-hee (39), Moon Gyeong-jun (41) ) and many other Korean players.