The PGA Tour’s rowdiest event is trying to tame things down this week.
After major issues around crowd control and fan behavior in 2024, the WM Phoenix Open, which began Thursday, has new precautions and policies in place to prevent further problems.
Headlined by the 17,000-seat stadium surrounding TPC Scottsdale’s 16th hole (a short par-3) and annually played on the same weekend as the Super Bowl, “The People’s Open” (as it’s nicknamed) attracts the largest, and wildest, crowds in golf—so much so that the tournament stopped releasing attendance numbers in 2019. In 2018, more than 700,000 fans turned out to the event.
The energy that the 16th hole Coliseum creates buzzes throughout the entire course, which is filled with booze-driven bachelor and bachelorette parties and tens of thousands of fans who likely wouldn’t attend a more traditional golf tournament.
Last year, things got out of hand.
The weather was unusually cold for Arizona in February and several days of rain created muddy and soggy conditions at TPC Scottsdale. On Saturday, play was suspended during the third round, and fans let loose.
Videos of drunk fans turning hills into mudslides and stumbling throughout the grounds percolated social media. Arrests skyrocketed. At one point, the tournament had to close entry at one gate and suspend alcohol sales.
All in all, despite the Phoenix Open’s nontraditional flair, it was a bad look for everyone involved.
This year, organizers have added a new fan entrance, expanded spectator sidewalks inside the course, and relocated many food and alcohol vendors. Tickets have also gone 100% digital, replacing physical general-admission tickets and good-any-day tickets.
Despite the changes, more than 200,000 fans will still be expected to show up on Saturday alone, hoping to catch a glimpse of No. 1–ranked Scottie Scheffler, who is the main draw at the tournament offering $9.2 million in prize money.
