Revealed: The shocking amount of arrests and fans booted out of WM Phoenix Open
Scottsdale Police confirm huge amount of arrests during last week's WM Phoenix Open on PGA Tour.
Scottsdale Police have confirmed a shocking amount of arrests during last week's WM Phoenix Open on the PGA Tour.
On top of all the arrests made at famed TPC Scottsdale, more than double the amount of spectators were kicked off site compared to last year's tournament.
Scroll below to see the full figures...
The 2024 WM Phoenix Open came under heavy criticism from the media, fans and PGA Tour players as a result of the mayhem that unfolded particularly during Saturday's play at TPC Scottsdale.
As a result of a deluge of rain at the start of the week, which is a rarity in Arizona given the state gets around six inches of rain a year, there were multiple areas at the Stadium Course that were "simply unusable".
A minority of fans on site thought better of the situation, however, as numerous videos went viral of beer-fuelled specators sliding down muddy slopes and causing general chaos while the tournament was going on.
Due to the very boggy course conditions for fans on Saturday, it led to crowding in certain parts especially down the big paving area at the right side of the par-4 18th.
The Thunderbirds, the philanthropic organization that puts on the WM Phoenix Open every year, were forced to make an operational decision and that was to remove spectators off the course for safety reasons.
A decision was also made to halt alcohol sales during Saturday's play after it had emerged a person had fallen some 20 feet in the stands on the iconic par-3 16th.
Thankfully that person was okay.
Then a fight that broke out.
A fight broke out at the Waste Management Phoenix Open
pic.twitter.com/hLQPzmvBMI— NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) February 11, 2024
Elsewhere, a number of fans were angering PGA Tour players out on the course.
Zach Johnson was criticised by a group of fans about his Ryder Cup captaincy last year, while Billy Horschel was seen unloading on a fan after he shouted out while a player was over their ball.
Johnson then went on an emotional rant after the event, but Paige Spiranac was having none of it.
Ben An also took to Twitter over the weekend to explain how the WM Phoenix Open had got "out of control" on Saturday.
Nick Taylor went on to win in a playoff over WM ambassador Charley Hoffman.
The 2024 Waste Management Open summed up in one video pic.twitter.com/NtOfoH1SdF
— Shooter McGavin (@ShooterMcGavin_) February 14, 2024
How many golf fans were arrested and kicked out of the WM Phoenix Open?
According to Scottsdale Police, a total of 54 golf fans were arrested during the 2024 WM Phoenix Open.
On top of those arrests, a record 211 golf fans were kicked out of TPC Scottsdale, which is more than double last year's total.
A total of 73 people were also removed for trespassing, police confirmed.
Scottsdale Police Department released numbers for this year's event, comparing them to 2022 and 2023:
- Calls for service: 440 (2022) 558 (2023) 653 (2024)
- Arrests: 0 (2022) 18 (2023) 54 (2024)
- Ejections: 90 (2022) 102 (2023) 211 (2024)
- Trespass: 14 (2022) 41 (2023) 73 (2024)
With seemingly so much bad PR during the staging of the 2024 WM Phoenix Open, with many now believing the tournament has had its day in 2024, executive director of The Thunderbirds, Chance Cozby, admits they will put everything right in 2025.
Scottsdale Mayor David Ortega is certainly hoping so as he has called for "necessary change" to the tournament next season.
Mayor Ortega said:
What did you make of the WM Phoenix Open? Has the tournament crossed a line? Have you ever been to the event before? Share your thoughts and comments over on the GolfMagic social media channels.
Andy first joined the brand on a month's work experience back in April 2011, and he now assumes the Editor role. When Andy joined GolfMagic it was a small site with potential.
