Did the Gallery Become Too Much of the Story at the WM Phoenix Open?

Part of the allure of playing, attending, or watching the WM Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale is the rowdy nature of the gallery – especially at the stadium-style No. 16 hole. 

Prior to the event, Justin Thomas said he “embraces the chaos,” Rickie Fowler “feeds off the crowd,” and much of the pre-tournament hype was about the atmosphere. 

But it appears that atmosphere backfired to a reasonable degree over the weekend. 

During Saturday’s third round, tournament organizers stopped allowing spectators through the gates and also briefly halted the sale of alcohol. 

After taking a spin around social media, it was easy to see why.

Now let’s review today’s highlights from the Waste Management Phoenix Open… pic.twitter.com/WXlgs4KBTT

— Jimmy Orr (@JimmyOrr) February 11, 2024

On Sunday, several golfers went toe-to-toe with spectators who were involving themselves in the action. Zach Johnson told a group to “shut up,” Billy Horschel got into it with one set of fans, and Jordan Spieth dropped an f-bomb after having his backswing disturbed on the approach to No. 18.

Zach Johnson just went Shooter McGavin on the Waste Management crowd. pic.twitter.com/622K9Beou0

— Shooter McGavin (@ShooterMcGavin_) February 11, 2024

A fan yelled in Spieth’s backswing and he dropped the club. But still hit it 15 feet, pin high. Easy game

pic.twitter.com/oy5hIOd1ya

— Flushing It (@flushingitgolf) February 11, 2024

A Scottsdale Police Department spokesperson said the crowds were more difficult to handle this year because the muddy grounds meant that people could only gather in so many spots. But afterwards, Horschel said that fan behavior has reached a tipping point.

Billy Horschel said:

“It’s been talked about amongst players about, if this would continue to escalate over the next few years, you could see players not want to come here. And that’s an unfortunate situation.”

Zach Johnson said:

“I don’t know what the line is, but you have people falling out of the rafters, you have fights in the stands. It’s to the point where now, how do you reel it in?”

It will be up to the group that runs the tournament to determine if any measures need to be taken to rein things in a bit, and they have to try and strike a balance between keeping players happy and wanting the fans to come to enjoy what the tournament is famous for.

Cover Image via Golf Magazine