The abrupt weather at TPC Scottsdale, along with the huge crowd and alcohol problems, has led to a bizarre situation at the WM Phoenix Open. Fans and players are both enraged by the chaotic condition. On Saturday, the situation at TPC Scottsdale worsened as the gates were closed to the ticketed fans, and the sales of food and alcohol were stopped. Moreover, the organizers took this step to control the crowd in a muddy venue, where barely the existing audience could move.
Even the police department admitted that the rain and mud caused this huge problem where a huge crowd had to settle in a small area. This crowd issue has risen because the organizers stopped counting the public in 2019. Last time they checked the people count was 576,807 fans through the tournament period. The police department further admitted that the association looks into the safety of people every year. But as far as the condition is concerned, it was reckless from the audience’s viewpoint. Even, safety came into question as a lot of instances were highlighted from the course.
TPC Scottsdale Has No Safety Amid The WM Phoenix Open Tournament
Intoxicated fans were hovering around the venue. Shirtless fans were sliding down the muddy hills. Added to these, a shirtless fan got into a bunker of hole 16 to do sand angels. Moreover, some fans couldn’t stand perfectly amid the crowd. A regular attendee of the tournament admitted that several changes, like multiple entrance gates, should be incorporated for better arrangement.
He also shared how the party turned into chaos at a point.
“I’m all for the party and craziness. The insane and rowdy crowds make the event. This year, Friday felt like a normal Saturday, and Saturday was just complete chaos. It was hard to enjoy the event when it took 30-plus minutes at any concessions and bathrooms were long waits, too.”
Another attendee said,
“All of a sudden, there were just so many people in our area. … But people just kept packing in and packing in and there were people all over. And I was like OK, this is a lot of people, this is very uncomfortable.”
Moreover, the audience was frustrated with the lack of tournament management. The initial announcement of gates being closed didn’t talk about food supplies being stopped. An attendee said,
“If you’re going to shut down alcohol, if you’re going to shut down food, you need to communicate that over the speakers…because it created more chaos.”
A tweet on Sunday morning from the course received several hate comments. A fan also wrote,
“Your event has become an embarrassment.”
Thus, the players had put forward their thoughts regarding where to draw a line. Billy Horschel, who loves the tournament and the crazy atmosphere of it, lost his nerves and yelled at a fan. The fan was affecting his fellow golfer’s performance, and the sight irritated Billy. Billy also shed light on the fact that the golfers are unwilling to come back to the tournament since the madness is escalating with time.
Zach Johnson revealed that, as he was personally attacked during the event, he wouldn’t prefer to come back. The bizarre condition at the venue has forced Billy to talk to Thunderbirds, the organization that arranged the event. Thus, unless the intoxicated atmosphere and the fans are controlled at the course, it is likely to see more golfers dropping out from participating next year.
