Feb. 2—Even those around Scottsdale who think “Casablanca” when they hear “bogey” have the Waste Management Phoenix Open on their radar.
Some rush to it like bees to a hive — or, perhaps more appropriately, like frat dudes to a kegger.
Others give the sporting spectacle at TPC Scottsdale a wide berth, wanting nothing to do with the traffic, the crowds, the partying.
Though Phoenix remains in its name, the 93-year-old tournament has called TPC Scottsdale home since 1987.
Impacted by unusually heavy rains, a somewhat chaotic 2024 tournament led sponsors the Thunderbirds, the Professional Golfers Association and the Scottsdale Police Department to huddle for months.
They emerged with a new slogan, promising this year’s event will be “better, not bigger.”
The WMPO tees off with practice rounds Monday and Tuesday, Feb. 3-4, followed by a professional-amateur tournament Wednesday, Feb. 5.
With nightly entertainment at the Birds Nest venue, the PGA tournament starts Thursday, Feb. 6, continuing through the championship round Feb. 9.
The Golf Channel and CBS television crews typically show viewers experiencing frigid temperatures across the country the beauty of “The West’s Most Western Town.”
Mostly hidden from the viewers were some of the uglier sides of the event. Amateurs captured those moments, seen on Youtube compilations such as “The 2024 Wasted Open” and “Chaos Erupts at 2024 Phoenix Open.”
The Thunderbirds, which sponsors a tournament that has raised more than $200 million for area charities, pledge this year’s event won’t repeat the scenes that marred the 2024 event.
At last year’s tournament, the Scottsdale Police Department made 54 arrests and 211 ejections — both far above totals in previous years
“The People’s Open” has a long, proud tradition as a participatory event — the tournament’s website boasts of being “Home to the largest and most enthusiastic crowds in the game.”
Some say that enthusiasm went way out of bounds last year.
The 2024 WM Open was blasted by local leaders, pro golfers and national press. Days after the tournament, then-Mayor David Ortega called out “the unruly behavior that we witnessed” at the WM Phoenix Open.
Long-known for allowing fans to cheer and even boo at the somewhat infamous 16th hole, tournament organizers were criticized for letting fans go too far.
Pro golfer Byeong Hun An blasted the 2024 event as “(expletive) show. Totally out of control on every hole.”
And, according to a Golf Digest article, “Anyone who was there knows it was absolute chaos.”
‘Better — not bigger’
The Scottsdale Police Department and the Thunderbirds say this year’s tournament will be refined.
The weather, for one thing, looks better.
Last year, downpours made many walking paths a muddy mess, forcing fans to bunch together in search of solid footing.
AccuWeather’s extended Scottsdale forecast calls for sunny skies for most of the tournament, though rain may hit on the closing round.
Scottsdale Police Officer Aaron Bolin has been working the WMPO for 15 years, on horse, on bike and on foot.
“With the amount of people that come out here,” he pondered, looking over the famous/infamous 16th hole from a corporate box, “you do have to kind of be ready for anything.”
Indeed, according to a Golf Magazine story last February, “It’s pretty clear things at the WM Phoenix Open got out of hand Saturday, when the gates at TPC Scottsdale were closed and alcohol sales suspended amid reported overcrowding at the course.
“And players weren’t immune to the chaos, with several testy interactions between pros and fans already making the rounds on social media.”
Even last year, Bolin stressed, the vast majority of fans were well behaved.
In general, he mused as a crew prepared the greens a week before the tournament, “most everybody’s doing all the right things. They’re staying in the proper fan areas. Most people are not going, you know, running across the course, or doing anything that really sort of gets the attention of law enforcement.”
Dozens of police officers will patrol the event, looking for the outliers.
“Sometimes, you do have people who will not respect the players, not respect the game, and not respect basically the tournament — and they do disrespectful and illegal things,” Bolin said.
Bolin, a spokesman for the department, said planning for this year’s tournament started just after Nick Taylor took home $1.5 million with a thrilling 2024 playoff win.
“We’ve been working closely with the PGA Tour, Scottsdale Police and Fire, title sponsor WM and our other valued partners to make impactful changes for 2025,” said Matt Mooney, chairman of the 2025 WM Phoenix Open Tournament.
One of the biggest changes is a new entrance being added on Greenway Hayden Loop, just north of Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard.
“The additional entrance will significantly improve the flow of fans entering and exiting TPC Scottsdale,” Mooney said.
“This entrance will provide relief at our main entrance and offer a much shorter walk for those fans in high-demand areas near holes 16, 17 and 18.”
Other improvements include the path beginning near the 17th fairway and extending to the 11th hole tee area being doubled in width.
And several food and alcohol vendors will be relocated “to help balance foot traffic around the course.”
The 2025 WM Phoenix Open will have “a fully digital ticketing format.”
Another first is that tickets are for specific days. That, Bolin said, will help the police department know what kind of crowds to expect for each of the four main days.
He noted the event’s “code of conduct” is clearly listed on each admission ticket. “You can do something that’s against the code of conduct and get kicked out of the event without being arrested,” the veteran officer noted.
“But you can also cross that line and do something that’s illegal.”
The WMPO 16th hole is an almost shocking contrast to the norm for a muted sport that inspired the term “golf clap.” Here at a short, par-3 hole, fans judge shots with raucous cheers and even boos — though they are encouraged to be quiet as players prepare for shots.
“Acceptable” is a tricky lie, here at the bleacher-lined, coliseum-shaped 16th.
“We’ll have a lot of first responder presence here,” Bolin said, looking down at Scottsdale’s legendary hole, “both fire and police.
“We get a lot of medical calls throughout the week, and so we always have medical folks here … Typically, there is a group of officers that are specifically assigned just to the 16th, and we even leverage help with DPS (the Arizona Department of Public Safety) and some other outside agencies to come in and help us.”
His message to fans: “Have as much fun as you want — but be respectful.”
Particularly on the 16th hole, “golf etiquette” can be stretched like taffy.
“We love seeing fans who are excited about golf, or people who are just excited to be at this amazing tournament,” Bolin said with a knowing grin. “And they come in costume, they get rowdy. Golf fans are allowed to get more rowdy on the 16 — from what I hear — than they are anywhere else on the PGA Tour.”
Even so…
“Do respect other people that are in the stands with you,” Bolin advised.
“Don’t be elbowing people. Don’t be spilling things on people. If you’re seated next to families or small children, we would ask that you be respectful of how you conduct yourself and talk. “Obviously, there’s free speech and some of those things, but be respectful of the fans around you, and then be respectful of the players that are out there.”
He allowed some behavior that would be considered outrageous elsewhere is common, here: “Yes, some good-natured heckling happens at the 16th. We hear it and see it a lot,” Bolin acknowledged.
“The players expect when they come into this stadium, that there’s going to be reactions from the crowd, and for some of them, that’s part of the fun of it.”
But, Bolin and others stress, this is a professional golf event — not a frat party.
Those inspired by alcohol and/or peer pressure to sprint across the course, leap in water hazards, howl as golfers are teeing up, get into a verbal or physical altercation or any other violation of the WMPO code of conduct “will be subject to ejection without refund.”
Extreme bad behavior may result in a free, 14-mile ride — to Scottsdale City Jail.
For tickets, parking and more information, visit wmphoenixopen.com.
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