The boisterous nature of the WM Phoenix Open is like nothing seen anywhere else across the PGA Tour. The sheer number of fans, the passion for the sport, the amount of booze consumed, there is simply no other event quite like the one held at TPC Scottsdale’s Stadium Course .
Many people turn up in costumes that relate to their favorite player or something completely random, and others simply like to enjoy a beer or three in their civilian clothes while watching some of the world’s best duke it out in Arizona. Whatever you wear, the message seems to be ‘make as much noise as humanly possible at all times.’ And that is an accepted part of the tournament in most quarters.
However, according to one player – Byeong Hun An , A.K.A Ben An – some of the patrons’ behaviour throughout the Stadium Course has been a “s***show” and “totally out of control on every hole” in 2024.
From the moment hundreds – if not thousands – of fans ran towards the par-3 Stadium Hole on Thursday morning , a stormy combination of excess levels of alcohol and bad weather has created a dark cloud of trouble for the PGA Tour and a handful of its members.