Photo by Ben Jared/PGA TOUR via Getty
After a sloppy Phoenix Open, the Thunderbirds sent a statement to the PGA Tour fans for future events in Scottsdale.
This year’s WM Phoenix Open took having a party during the middle of a PGA Tour tournament to another level.
Fans were out of control, and it got to a point where multiple players, including Team USA Ryder Cup captain Zach Johnson, complained about it.
With so many weather delays, things appeared more out of hand than usual at TPC Scottsdale, especially on Saturday. Tournament hosts, the Thunderbirds, released a statement on Friday morning about this year’s event.
“Last week, we encountered among the most difficult conditions in the history of the event, as heavy rain on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday morning contributed to significant deterioration in the conditions at TPC Scottsdale,” the Thunderbirds wrote in a statement.
Tournament officials temporarily closed the gates and stop concession sales of alcohol on Saturday afternoon. The Thunderbirds, nearly a week later, explained their decision and gave fans who were denied entry, despite having a ticket, an opportunity to get their money back.
“When these conditions created congestion throughout the golf course on Saturday, the decision was made to temporarily close the main entrance and end concession sales so that we could provide a pathway for fans to safely exit the golf course. We understand the frustration this caused for our fans.”
They also included a message on how fans can request a refund via email.
They didn’t directly address the real issues from last week which prompted fans to call them out. Not every reply was hidden on X, formerly Twitter, by the WM Phoenix Open, but many were.
While the WM Phoenix Open is about having fun and creating a party atmosphere, there must be a line that doesn’t get crossed. This year, it was clear that fans crossed that line multiple times.
Continue to blame the weather all you want, but there are bigger issues.
— Å Løkî (@only1alok) February 16, 2024
This tournament has become a total farce and an embarrassment to the PGA tour.
— Marc Taillefer (@MarcTaillefer6) February 16, 2024
Many fans claimed that the tournament didn’t even check tickets upon entry, which would make sense how congested the course got.
Lol blaming the weather like it was the only factor .. @ChanceCozby needs to go !! You guys DON’T EVEN CHECK TICKETS (2 years in a row now), then BLAME the CONGESTION on the conditions saying, people are limited to the paths. Maybe actually check tickets and/or limit tickets?
— Bryan (@bryanthomas621) February 16, 2024
This event could have taken a very serious turn for the worse. A woman fell from a balcony more than 20 feet below. Thankfully, she survived and suffered only minor injuries.
But if the Thunderbirds and the Phoenix Open do not make the changes mentioned in their message, they might have a catastrophe next time.
Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. For more golf coverage, be sure to follow us @_PlayingThrough on all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.
