The Party of the PGA
Cover Art by Abigail seguin
How the Waste Management Phoenix Open has become the people's tournament in the Professional Golf Associations season whether that be for better or for worse.
The Waste Management Phoenix Open is a golf tournament run by the PGA (Professional Golf Association) in Scottsdale, Arizona. This year's tournament ran from February 8th to February 11th and was won by Nick Taylor who earned $1.58M out of a $8.8M purse. This year's tournament ended in a playoff between Taylor and Charlie Hoffman, but this year, the actual play of the golfers may have been the least interesting part of the tournament. The Waste Management Phoenix Open began in 1932 and has been played at TPC Scottsdale since 1987, but during recent years the tournament's spectators have been the story. Shifting from the classic polo shirt, slacks and golf hat to banana costumes, shirtlessness, and jean shorts. Over the years the tournament has consistently grown in numbers, with the attendance numbers reaching over 700,000 in total (Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday combined) and over 200,000 on Saturday alone in 2018, both of which were new record highs. The spectators have built their own reputation that goes against how a conventional PGA tournament should look, feel and sound.
Fans at the Waste Management Tournament openly heckle golfers, throw beers on the greens, streak, and cheer extremely loudly which is far from normal behavior. Especially in comparison to other tournaments, where fans are instructed on when they are allowed to cheer and speak around the golfers playing. Normally, there is some level of decorum, but not in Phoenix during this tournament where debauchery is the new norm. This year’s tournament reached an entirely new level of such behaviors with fans breaking into the tournament, breaking into private sections, running onto the course, with fights breaking out and ambulances being called. This behavior led to 653 calls for service, 54 arrests, 211 ejections, and 73 citations for trespassing according to the Scottsdale Police Department, the Waste Management Phoenix Open & Birds Nest. This is anything but typical. Food and beverage services were completely shut down during the tournament because of this overall rowdiness and lack of security. This behavior also greatly impacts the players who have split opinions on the fans being as free as they are to act in such inappropriate manners. Players, like Zach Johnson, saying “This tournament has been inappropriate and crossed the line since I've been on tour and this is my 21st year.” while fellow golfer, Billy Horschel, said “I love the energy, I love the crowds”. This demonstrates a clear divide between the golfers who play in this tournament, but no matter what this tournament has become a disruption and a distraction from the game.
There is an interesting twist that this behavior from the spectators has brought to the game of golf. It has opened the door for new sponsors and companies to become part of the event. Companies such as Barstool Sports and their line of golf clothes and accessories, which boasted one of the largest selections of clothing in the tournament's apparel stores, even though this is their first year, and for DraftKings one of the largest betting and gaming platforms in the United States to become a sponsor. The change in fandom, from the regular golf fan to the above average partier, at the Waste Management Phoenix Open has caused a literal and figurative disruption in the game of golf and after this year's tournament. It is tough to say if this spectator behavior will continue on, get worse, or even have an end put to it, but either way it will represent a new side of the culture that is golf.
References
https://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/golf/phoenix-open/2024/02/12/fans-players-call-for-chan ge-after-chaos-at-phoenix-open-zach-johnson-billy-horschel/72566759007/
https://wmphoenixopen.com/statistics-and-records-book-attendance-history/
https://www.fox10phoenix.com/news/wm-phoenix-open-scottsdale-pd-gives-arrest-ejection-trespass-numbers-for-2024