In the final day of Pro-Am festivities, the stars came out for Wednesday’s practice round. While tournament regulars like Larry Fitzgerald and Michael Phelps represented Arizona at the 2026 WM Phoenix Open, fans were also greeted by new, yet familiar faces.
Kansas City tight end Travis Kelce drew the biggest gallery and wowed the crowd at the 16th hole with a tee shot that landed a few feet short of the pin. Country singer Zach Top was also popular and managed to survive his greatest fear.
“I just hope I don’t kill anybody,” Top said beforehand. “I’d like to hit the green, but if I get out of here without killing anybody, I’ll be excited.”
Other highlights included Fitzgerald forcing Arizona State football coach Kenny Dillingham to take a celebrity shot at 16. His respectable effort earned praise from the crowd.
Meanwhile, after teeing off at the 10th hole to begin the morning, Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts was paired with the PGA’s Maverick McNealy and Nico Echavarria. As an avid golfer, Betts consistently drove fairways with a smile on his face and Dodger Blue all around the course.
“Dodger nation has shown up everywhere,” Betts said. “It’s been an amazing experience that not a lot of people get, so hopefully we can keep it up. To have so many people support you is a blessing.”
Betts will be back in the Valley for spring training in just a few short weeks, as the back-to-back World Series champion began the acclimation process to the desert heat, which has already climbed into the 80-degree range in the first week of February.
“I love it here,” Betts said. “I started in Florida and loved it there, but now I get to come out here and get a different vibe. The heat is definitely a bit different, but it’s a lot of fun.”
Just two groups after him was Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh, who led the MLB with 60 home runs, the first player behind the dish to accomplish the feat. Although Raleigh doesn’t find himself on the golf course often, his powerful swing translated quite well with several impressive drives.
“(My swing) felt pretty good,” Raleigh said. “Out here in Arizona, I could probably drive it 320, 340 (yards).
Raleigh came close to meeting Betts in the 2025 World Series, but the Mariners fell short after a Game 7 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays in the ALCS. While the two exchanged some friendly banter at the driving range before their tee times, Raleigh had to pay his respects to Betts on his overall golf game.
“He’ll definitely win that one,” Raleigh said. “Maybe I can out-drive him, but that’s about it.”
Fans at TPC Scottsdale didn’t just see other professional athletes on the tee boxes, as Grammy Award-winning artist Zach Top made his Phoenix Open debut. After winning Best Traditional Country Album for his first Grammy over the weekend, Top managed to keep all of his shots on the course enough to keep them away from the fans, as the famous 16th hole was filled with intimidating shouts from the crowd. Top entered a win-win situation, though, with most of his music pulling at the heartstrings of his listeners.
“I hear they’ll boo the crap out of you if you miss the green on (hole) 16,” Top said. “That will probably break my heart, but that’s okay because I write most of my best songs when I’m brokenhearted.”
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