Photo by Ben Jared/PGA TOUR via Getty Images
Things are wild at the Phoenix Open. Photos and videos surfaced of security denying entry to fans, regardless of tickets.
The WM Phoenix Open party appears to be at full capacity as all entry gates have temporarily closed.
This is the first time in this event’s history this has happened.
The Tournament communications team tweeted an announcement around 4 p.m. ET but hasn’t updated the masses since.
“Due to larger than usual crowds, the WM Phoenix Open entrance gates are temporarily closed and shuttle service to the event is on hold. Shuttle service back to parking lots will remain running,” the announcement wrote.
Due to larger than usual crowds, the WM Phoenix Open entrance gates are temporarily closed and shuttle service to the event is on hold. Shuttle service back to parking lots will remain running. Regularly check our channels for updates. pic.twitter.com/NAi1nYuuCu
— WM Phoenix Open (@WMPhoenixOpen) February 10, 2024
This shocking development has left fans taking to social media, posting videos and photos confirming the closings.
A patron confirmed with Playing Through that beer sales have been stopped for the rest of the day.
All week fans have descended upon TPC Scottsdale in party mode. Videos of patrons, likely inebriated, have broken onto the course including this fan who is seen doing a front flip in the 16th green side bunker.
It’s unclear if those with tickets who don’t get in the gates will be refunded or allowed to attend Sunday’s round. The tournament also didn’t specify how long the gates would remain closed, and if enough fans left, more would be allowed inside the venue.
There is so much congestion around the golf course right now that even television crews have had to put away their carts, per Golfweek.
WM Phoenix Open organizers stopped announcing daily attendance numbers in 2019. On record, the largest single-day crowd was the Saturday round in 2018, when 216,818 people were there. That week, 719,179 people came to the event.
With the weather finally clearing up, it appears the fans in Scottsdale have taken it to another level. We will keep you updated as more information surfaces on this developing situation.
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.
