Waste Management Phoenix Open Shatters Attendance Record

According to the official attendance numbers, this year’s Phoenix Open crushed records for number of spectators for a single event. And it’s not like that’s a small number to beat either, as the tournament brought in over 719,000 spectators.

The WMPO didn’t break the record by a small amount, either, as this year’s attendance was a whopping 60,000 more fans than the previous record. Attendance records were also broken for single days on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

Further, the attendance total was just under 100,000 more fans than the 2017 turnout. More impressive is the fact that the spectator numbers were actually lower than the projections. For example, the PGA TOUR was expecting a turnout of 250,000 fans on Saturday but only ended up drawing 216,000. Imagine how much the record would have been if they had hit or exceeded that single day expectation.

Martin Flores hits from the sand on the 15th hole during the final…

Martin Flores hits from the sand on the 15th hole during the final round of the Waste Management Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale on February 4, 2018 in Scottsdale, Arizona. Get premium, high resolution news photos at Getty Images

And when there are that many fans, the pros definitely take note and appreciate the support. “It means a lot to me, it’s very helpful and very important to my success,” said Phil Mickelson. “I think it’s been a big instrument in allowing me to get into the round and play and have fun and get out of the technical side, which is what I’ve been doing the first two weeks.”

But while many players were happy with the turnout and said it motivated them, there were some other concerns that players voiced. Rickie Fowler, for one, cited some issues that he had with heckling, especially on the 16th hole, the largest gathering spot for fans. A lot of that problem may come from the fact that a quite a few people weren’t at the event to watch golf, but rather to have a good time (with a few beers) and enjoy the day.

Overall, it’s a great thing for golf that fans are showing up in record numbers. Hopefully, the attendance numbers will only continue to climb as golf continues to gain popularity.

Cover Image via Instagram