As this week’s WM Phoenix Open began play, defending champion Thomas Detry was in the familiar spot of sitting atop a leaderboard.
It just didn’t happen to be at TPC Scottsdale.
As two-time champion Scottie Scheffler struggled at the Open’s first round with a 2-over 73 Thursday, Feb. 5, Detry was in Riyadh at LIV Golf’s inaugural event of the 2026 season, heading into the third round in a three-way tie for the lead.
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Outside of his photo lining the wall of past Phoenix Open champions, Detry has scarcely been mentioned this week, with some fans even struggling to recognize his name.
“To be completely honest, I don’t know who that is,” one fan said.
Others, however, say they miss the 33-year-old Belgian.
This has been the reality of the PGA Tour, with the divide between the two tours sitting at the forefront of golf since LIV’s creation in 2022.
For Buckeye’s Ed Scharf, 44, who has been coming to the WMPO for the last 10 years and recalled watching Detry’s maiden PGA Tour win in 2025, that divide has been especially disappointing.
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“You always want the repeating champion to be here again and it’s kind of sad that he’s not,” Scharf said.
After a seven-under 65 in his opening round at LIV Golf Riyadh, Detry fired a three-under 69 Thursday.
For Corey Miller, 39, Detry’s performance thus far in Riyadh makes his absence here that much more noticeable.
“That means he’s at the top of his game,” said Miller, from Queen Creek. “It’s always going to leave you wondering ‘What if?’”
Those questions were amplified as notable LIV players Patrick Reed and Brooks Koepka recently announced their intention to return to the PGA Tour. While fans around the world have eagerly anticipated the best in the sport competing head-to-head again, Scheffler said he just wants to return to a sense of normalcy.
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“I think the last few years, there’s just been a lot of the noise,” said the current world No. 1. “I think getting those guys back is another step towards us just being able to play golf again.”
Scheffler’s sentiments were later echoed by Koepka, who has largely tried to shut out the media attention surrounding his high-profile return to the PGA Tour last week at Torrey Pines.
“I’m just focused on myself,” Koepka said. “I’m focused on how I can go play the best golf over the next four days.”
Detry famously claimed his maiden PGA Tour win in Phoenix last year by 7 strokes, cementing his place as the first Belgian to ever win a PGA Tour event. This time, it will only be a footnote.
Nick Neumayer is a graduate student at Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: WM Phoenix Open goes on without defending champ Thomas Detry
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