SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — As crazy as it seems, the Super Bowl won't have the biggest crowd among sporting events in the Phoenix area this weekend.
The Eagles and Chiefs will draw a global audience on television, but attendance at State Farm Stadium is capped at 72,200 even with temporary seating. The wildly popular Waste Management Phoenix Open, meanwhile, will draw about triple that for its annual tournament, which was sold out on Friday and Saturday with projected crowds of about 200,000.
We took advantage of the event's proximity to ask some of the world's best golfers if they had a pick for Sunday's game, or at least a rooting interest between Philadelphia and Kansas City. Their responses:
Jon Rahm (2021 U.S. Open champ, No. 1 in 2023 earnings, 9-time PGA Tour winner, $39 million in career earnings): "I want to see a good game, obviously. I've met Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce and they were very, very nice to me, so I'm hoping they win, but I'll be happy either way. I just want to see a good game."
Jordan Spieth (2015 Masters and U.S. Open champ, 13-time PGA Tour winner, $53 million in career earnings): "I'm a Cowboys fan, so I'm rooting for the Chiefs, but I think the Eagles are really good."
Tony Finau (No. 5 in earnings in 2023, 5-time PGA Tour winner, $33 million in career earnings): "I'm rooting for the Chiefs, but if I had to put money down, I think the Eagles are going to win. I'm a big Andy Reid guy. I've looked to him as a mentor. I've had a couple conversations with him, so that's the one tie I have. He's a big BYU guy. I'm a Cowboys fan, so it pains me to say it, but I think the Eagles might win."
Scottie Scheffler (Phoenix Open defending champ and leader after three rounds, 4 PGA Tour wins, $22 million in career earnings): "My favorite team is the Cowboys, and if they're not playing, I probably might watch, but who knows."
Billy Horschel (7-time PGA Tour winner, $33 million in career earnings): "I'm not a fan of either team, but if I'm going to pull for any team, I'll pull for the Eagles. I'd like to see Jalen Hurts win. Chauncey Gardner-Johnson was a Gator (Horschel is a Florida alum) and obviously there's some Gators on the Chiefs team, but I like the way Chauncey plays, always liked him in college. I love Jalen Hurts the way he's gone about stuff, really respectable the way he's handled things. So I want the Eagles to win. I've always been a Patriots fan, but the last decade or so, I've been pulling for the Falcons. Arthur Blank is a really good friend of mine. Living in Jacksonville, I pull for the Jags."
Stewart Cink (8-time PGA Tour winner, $42 million in career earnings): "Chiefs 38, Eagles 35. It's going to be a last-second field goal that wins the game. I actually love Jalen Hurts. I really love Jalen Hurts. Ever since that college football national championship when he got pulled, the way he handled that, he just won me over. But I do like the Chiefs organization, and I've had a few people this week tell me they're from Kansas City and want me to root for Kansas City."
Matt Kuchar (9-time PGA Tour winner, $55 million in career earnings): "I don't have a rooting interest, but I want to say the Eagles are going to win."
Greg Auman is FOX Sports’ NFC South reporter, covering the Buccaneers, Falcons, Panthers and Saints. He is in his 10th season covering the Bucs and the NFL full-time, having spent time at the Tampa Bay Times and The Athletic. You can follow him on Twitter at @gregauman.
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