As the kids say, “It’s not that deep.”

The WM Phoenix Open was a media hole-in-one again in 2026, and virality across earned media and social channels was palpable. But why has this PGA Tour stop become one of the most talked about and shared sporting events each year?

Where else do you enter a coliseum for a chance at glory—surrounded by thousands of fans who treat a hole in one on 16 like a game winning touchdown? Where else do golf, spectacle, and pop culture intersect so naturally that coverage feels inevitable?

The answer is brand. And the WM Phoenix Open has one of the strongest brands in sports.

A Tournament Built for Earned Media

The WM Phoenix Open, proudly known as The People’s Open, has never tried to be traditional.

Instead, it embraced its reputation as the loudest stop on tour and turned that energy into a defining asset. That decision has paid dividends across earned and social media year after year, while continuing to drive massive crowds and revenue.

In 2018, the last year official attendance was tracked, the tournament welcomed a record 719,179 fans, making it the most attended golf event in the world.

That scale alone guarantees coverage, but it is the experience that sustains the conversation.

Why Earned and Social Media Show Up Every Year

From a PR and communications standpoint, the WM Phoenix Open succeeds because it delivers what media outlets, platforms, and audiences want.

Key drivers include:

  • A clear and differentiated brand identity that stands apart from every other PGA Tour stop
  • Highly visual moments that are built for social sharing, especially on the 16th hole
  • Narratives that extend beyond sports into entertainment, fashion, business, and sustainability
  • Fan participation as content, turning attendees into amplifiers

Every cheer, chant, and unexpected moment fuels conversation. Even moments of controversy or operational challenges, which tournament officials have experienced before, tend to accelerate attention rather than suppress it. More chatter leads to more eyeballs, and more intrigue.

Experience Becomes the Message

This is experiential marketing at scale. Fans are not passive spectators. They are part of the show. That participation is what transforms in-person energy into earned media momentum across news coverage, social feeds, and cultural commentary.

For brands and communicators, the WM Phoenix Open is a case study in how to:

  • Build messaging that invites attention instead of resisting it
  • Create experiences that naturally generate earned and social media
  • Let culture do the amplification work

The WM Phoenix Open proves that when you own your identity and give people a good time, the conversation takes care of itself and drives earned and social media gold.