Golf has long been a game of class, elegance, and peace. Stereotypically stigmatized for a snooty, stuck-up, and rigid environment. However, recent trends across the game have tried to pump some fun into the game. The Waste Management Open has been part of the catalyst to this movement. Located in Phoenix, Arizona, the weather and city draw huge crowds. It is the best-attended event on the PGA Tour, drawing over 500,000 spectators over four days. Named the Coliseum, 16th hole is a 160 yard Par 3 is surrounded by large grandstands that includes 300 suites and with general admission seating holds up to 20,000 fans. The tournament has had a reputation as golf’s most fun event but players and fans are now claiming that the fun has gone too far. Fears have risen that the event has become more about the partying and less about the golf; this year drawing criticism especially.
The Antics
Even if you don’t follow golf regularly, you probably saw viral clips of this tournament on Tikok or Instagram in the last weeks. There were videos of people falling, fighting, even peeing themselves. Any type of inappropriate drunk behavior that you could imagine, took place. The viral videos were a horrible sight for some but were pure entertainment for the casual viewer. Player, Byeong Hun An tweeted out “Sh*tshow. Totally out of control on every hole.” This represented the expressed sentiments of many of the players who participated in the event. In one video, a man ran onto the golf course, jumping into a sand trap, proceeding to do “sand-angels” or snow-angels in the trap. The man was ejected and was found out to be a fraternity pledge at Arizona State University. A common theme through other videos were people stumbling falling through puddles on sidewalks, one showing a guy continuing a phone call while falling down a hill into a puddle. Some of the incidents even interfered with the golf being played. A tradition of certain holes on the course, mostly the famous stadium 16th, is to boo players after they make a disappointing shot. The players take it in stride and it is known to be all in good fun. Unfortunately, this escalated to fans yelling in the backswings of players, something anyone knows golfers hate especially. Other incidents occurred where fans “aggressively” chirped at players mid round. The most notable example was with a frustrated golfer, Zach Johnson (the opposite of a fan favorite) who stuck around to argue with fans about their behavior and his performance. More incidents included a fan being carried off by first responders after falling out of the grandstands, a fight between two men, multiple being escorted out for excessive intoxication, and fans sliding down muddy hills.
The Solution?
Steps were taken mid-tournament to minimize the pre-existing problem. The most drastic step was to stop all alcohol sales mid-afternoon on Saturday. Weather delays caused long breaks of the action on the course, causing fans to spend their time drinking while they had nothing else to do. Believe it or not, thousands of drunk fans in one place doesn’t end well. Another surprise is that fans were not a fan of the event, cutting off alcohol sales mid day, causing rambunctious reactions from the crowd. Fans were heard to be chanting “we want beer” from all around the course. Some fans even left but this was likely the goal of the initiative. The problem also stemmed from large crowds pushing through security entrances, allowing many to get in without tickets. On Saturday, security began even denying legitimate ticket holders from entering the tournament due to the historic crowds, drawing outrage and complaints from many. On Sunday, security and police forces were increased as crowd-control. A total of 211 people were arrested and 73 were removed for trespassing.
The event is ran by a historic group of golf-professionals and wealthy businessmen, known as the Thunderbirds. Though they embrace the party-like nature of the tournament, they have admitted this year went too far and that changes will be in place for years to come. The director of the group, Chance Crozby, stated “Saturday at the WM Phoenix Open in 2024 is going to end up being a turning point for our tournament and our organization to make our event better.” He furthered with details saying “The players don’t like what happened on Saturday. Our fans don’t like what happened on Saturday. And so nothing is off the table. We’re going to look at our just general admission ticket exposure and how many are out in the marketplace. We’re going to look at our complete security plan and just how we operate.” These comments come after demands and complaints from many of the players who participated.
The Golf
What seemed to be overshadowed by the rest of the weekend, was the actual result itself. Nick Taylor got his fourth win on the tour in this tournament, finishing over Charley Hoffman in a playoff after a tie through the fourth round. Academic Magnet alumnus, Andrew Novak, was atop leaderboards all week, at one point being first. He finished tied 8th at 13 under par. Other notable placings were Scottie Sheffler at tied third, Jordan Spieth at tied sixth, and Justin Thomas at tied twelfth. The tournament was not played in the typical, dry and hot weather that one would expect from the Arizona desert. Rain delays occurred over the weekend and cloudy conditions caused early ends to the days. Golfers were wearing beanies and jackets. Not what you think of when you hear Arizona.
Will this tournament be refined and brought back to normalcy next year? Or will the fun and excitement be embraced even more? The events at the 2024 Waste Management pose questions for those in charge and the game as a golf as a whole.
