Hideki Matsuyama, of Japan, hits from the 16th tee during the second round of the Waste Management Phoenix Open golf tournament, Friday, Feb. 3, 2017, in Scottsdale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Matt York)

 Matt York

Getting a spot on ongoing Waste Management Phoenix Open was brutally difficult. There were three spots available to all comers and it was as if β€œall comers” truly meant β€œall.” In a pre-qualifying tournament last week, 240 total players, including Tucson’sΒ Jonathan Khan,Β Preston Otte,Β Jacob RogersΒ and Nogales’ Alberto SanchezΒ qualified to be part of a 124-man Monday qualifying field. Only three would get berths in the Phoenix Open. That field of 124 included U.S. Open champΒ Lee Janzen, Masters champΒ Mike Weir, UA All-AmericansΒ Jason GoreΒ andΒ Ted PurdyΒ and Phoenix golf legendΒ Billy Mayfair. Khan, a former Salpointe Catholic and UA golfer, was superb, sixth overall with a 67, but he missed being part of the $6.7 million tournament by two strokes. Tough business.Β 

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