It is no great secret that many tour pros despise the traditional pre-tournament Wednesday pro-am. They would prefer to be practising alone with their caddies or with colleagues, working out in the gym or relaxing back in the hotel with family members.

Golf writer Geoff Shackelford recently posted on his website a quote by 1973 British Open champion Tom Weiskopf, who summed up this attitude… “Tour pros would rather go through an IRS audit than play in a pro-am. Publicly they say they love meeting interesting people and how great the pro-ams are. In truth, they loathe them. They're out there for six hours, see countless bad shots and hear the same stale jokes." 

Of course, at the same time there are many players who do relish – or at least placidly tolerate – the opportunity of playing a more informal round of golf with amateur partners who could, for example, eventually become friends or even the purveyors of lucrative future endorsement deals.

Aware of these conflicting views among players, first-year U.S. PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan had been seeking an alternative to improve the overall experience and he found it in alternate format – dubbed “nine and nine” – in which one professional plays the first nine holes and a second professional plays the second nine.

"Wednesday is something that our sport has that no other sport has, and we want to continue to do everything we can to make it the best experience we can, so I think this is just one step," said Monahan.

Already in practice on the U.S. LPGA Tour, and used at unofficial events such as the PNC Father-Son Challenge, the format was tested on last year’s PGA Tour at the FedEx St. Jude Classic, and has now been formally introduced at this week’s Waste Management Phoenix Open.

It is optional, so some players such as Xander Schauffele, Charley Hoffman and two-time defending champion Hideki Matsuyama decided to play all 18 holes, but one happy to take advantage of the new format was Phil Mickelson. After leaving the ninth green, he walked to the 10th tee and shook hands with Brand Snedeker, who took over for the second nine.

“I think it’s a win for the amateurs,” said Mickelson, “because they get a two-pro experience, and it’s a win for the professionals because they have more time to get ready and prepare for the event.”