More Weekly Read: Dustin, No. 228 | LIV and the Ryder Cup
The WM Phoenix Open has for years been known for its party-first, golf-second atmosphere. The par-3 16th hole is the epitome of rowdy, as a crowd of some 20,000 fans surrounds the short hole and players are booed and cheered unlike anywhere else.
No golf tournament draws like the one at TPC Scottsdale, with crowds upwards of 200,000 on Saturday not uncommon.
But at the risk of perhaps a few poorly-behaved souls ruining it for the rest, you have to wonder if things have gone too far.
Two years ago, a hole in one brought such a bevy of tossed beer cans onto the green in celebration that the tournament needed some 10 minutes to clean up the mess. Steps have been taken to limit that sort of outburst, but other issues continue to surface in addition to the common theme of excessive drunkenness that has been apparent for years.
When mild-mannered Zach Johnson goes to the gallery rope line to confront unruly fans, you know something is amiss. Billy Horschel lost his cool, too. On Saturday things got so out of hand that tournament officials stopped afternoon admissions and halted beer sales because the crowds had become too big—and in some cases, unruly.