Opinion: Ugly Phoenix Open must change after drunken mess

Thank goodness for Nick Taylor and Charley Hoffman reminding everyone that this was actually a golf tournament. 

Because for so long golf was the sideshow at an ugly Waste Management Phoenix Open.

The party at TPC Scottsdale had descended into a drunken mess outside the ropes long before the nerveless Taylor had sunk his third straight birdie putt to deny the inspired Hoffman in a playoff on the 18th green.

Before that, the $8.8million showpiece in Arizona had gone from pretty distasteful to downright dangerous.

In billing the tournament as a wild week at the most un-golf like venue on tour and allowing up to 700,000 fans to pile in for a taste of the boozy frat party atmosphere, officials have created a monster that is now way out of control.

This is what the “Greatest Show on Grass” has now become:

• Officials shutting spectator gates early
• Spectator taken to hospital after falling out of grandstand
• Fans filmed urinating on course
• Fans fighting without any security present
• Beer sales temporarily stopped
• Zach Johnson and Billy Horschel confronting spectators
• Man arrested after performing sand angels in greenside bunker
• Some fans too drunk to stand up

And that wasn’t all at the 2024 renewal.

The wet weather caused further chaos with reports of over 250,000 inside the Stadium Course on Saturday. Grass banks used to accommodate the masses quickly turned into mudslides for luge contests.

Thousands of ticketed fans were left stranded at the barriers. Presumably those were some of the spectators who had turned up to watch the golf, too.

The scenes were shocking, but hardly surprising. Unruly behaviour from inebriated fans has threatened to overshadow the exceptional golf on an exceptional golf course for some time.

• Zach Johnson in furious bust-up with fans at TPC Scottsdale

• CHAOS at TPC Scottsdale as officials forced to shut gates

Last year, the colosseum-like par-3 16th was delayed after beer cans and bottles were launched onto the green to cheer Sam Ryder’s hole-in-one.

In 2022, Carlos Ortiz was “nailed pretty hard” on the head with a beer can on the same hole after making a one. The fan who jumped the ropes and performed ‘snow angles’ in the greenside bunker this weekend was serenaded like he’d made an ace too.

Of course, we shouldn’t forget that some players love the chaos. Joel Dahmen and Harry Higgs whipped up the crowd by going topless on the 16th that year. The carnage certainly breaks up the calendar and its traditions.

But we should also appreciate that its not everyone. Like it or not, one of the most recognisable par-3s in golf has become a lawless adult playground that makes a mockery of a prestigious PGA Tour event.

Been at my son’s hockey game & a mate asked how’s WMPO going? I said it’s Saturday, it’s not about the golf. He just sent me this video with the quote “you’re right!” #WastedManagent #PhoenixOpen
pic.twitter.com/9djhn4mdTi

— Luke Elvy (@Luke_Elvy) February 11, 2024

Perhaps most worryingly, those inside the ropes have had enough too. Tensions rose on Sunday as losing Ryder Cup captain Johnson responded to a fan’s verbal attack by telling him to “shut up.”

Horschel, meanwhile, was heard remonstrating with a boisterous fan whilst his partner Nicolo Galletti was about to hit a shot. “Buddy, when he’s over a shot shut the hell up man,” Horschel shouted. “He’s trying to hit a damn golf shot here – it’s our f****** job.”

Jordan Spieth had described the crowds as “awesome” on Saturday, but the next morning shouted ‘what the f***’ as he was put off  by a hollering fan on his approach to 18.

Byeong Hun An described the week as a “shitshow”, earning universal approval on social media. “Totally out of control on every hole,” the South Korean wrote on X.

“I know what I’ve signed up for and have played here multiple times. It was fine before this year.”

• Waste Management Phoenix Open 2024: Prize money payout in full

• “S**tshow” – Pro blasts fan behaviour at Phoenix Open

The Phoenix Open is no longer a ‘Signature Event’ stop on the PGA Tour and the circuit’s top players can easily ditch the trip to Arizona, especially now it is wedged between lucrative visits to Pebble Beach and Riviera.

It is imperative, therefore, that Tour bosses get a grip back on this tournament.

Similar scenes to this at next year’s Ryder Cup in New York would stain the competition and Tour bosses must now wrestle back control of one its own most popular events. Mother Nature certainly didn’t help them last week but officials must still take responsibility and enact change.

After all, they could cut the number of tickets sold in half and still get the unique event they’re after. Security must also be enhanced significantly to protect both players and the fans, whilst stricter limits on alcohol must surely be imposed to stop things getting so quickly out of hand.

And that’s just the start. If they want it to resemble a golf tournament, that is.

Ben Parsons joined bunkered as a Content Producer in 2023 and is the man to come to for all of the latest news, across both the professional and amateur games. Formerly of The Mirror and Press Association, he is a member at Halifax Golf Club and is a long-suffering fan of both Manchester United and the Wales rugby team.