Sign up for our daily newsletter
Latest news, reviews, analysis and opinion, plus unmissable deals for bunkered subscriptions, events, and our commercial partners.
Excitement is building ahead of the Waste Management Phoenix Open this week, and Billy Horschel is still looking forward to it.
But the eight-time PGA Tour winner, who has been a regular at the TPC Scottsdale event, admits it has ‘crossed the line’ in recent years.
Arizona Police arrested 54 people at last year’s event – won by Canadian Nick Taylor – while Horschel wasn’t the only player involved in fan altercations.
In a video that went viral, Horschel told fans to “shut the hell up” before Zach Johnson said he was “sick” of unruly behaviour from spectators.
After the event, Horschel sent a text message to tournament director Chance Cozby, warning him of the mess.
“I said, I love this event. I love the golf course. I love playing in front of fans,” he told Golfweek.
“I love a little banter back and forth, and I have no problem with that, but there gets a point where it crosses a line, and it’s crossed the line a little bit the last couple years.
• Phil Mickelson ruled out of LIV season opener
• PGA Tour pro hits out at Justin Thomas
“And I said, ‘Chance we just need to rein it in a little bit.’”
Meanwhile, the 38-year-old shared concerns that players would skip the event in future if it didn’t undergo significant change.
A heated Johnson raised that possibility last year, when explaining that he was ‘done’ with it all and might never return.
“The Thunderbirds are a great organisation, and I didn’t want them to start getting a black eye for the way the event was being seen from the players perspective,” Horschel said.
“The last couple years just got a little bit out of hand. Fan behaviour in some instances was crossing the line where I was concerned that those guys that do enjoy playing here may have not come back in the future, and that’s not what you want.
• CHAOS at TPC Scottsdale as officials forced to shut gates
• Opinion: Ugly Phoenix Open must change after drunken mess
“People were coming out and thinking they can just say wathever they want on any hole, and they think that’s what the golf tournament is about.
“As players, we just sort of finally said enough is enough, and we expressed our frustration a little bit more.”
And Cozby has listened.
The event’s leadership, The Thunderbirds, have vowed to ‘fix’ the event and announced several changes ahead of this year’s edition – which starts on Thursday.
Tournament entrance, admission and spectator walking areas have all been transformed, while the PGA Tour event has issued a ‘no tolerance’ policy.
ALL ABOUT THE OPEN
More Reads

The bunkered Golf Course Guide - Scotland
Now, with bunkered, you can discover the golf courses Scotland has to offer. Trust us, you will not be disappointed.
Find Courses