Dense Crowds Cause WM Phoenix Open to Close Gates, Limit Alcohol Sales
Scottsdale, Ariz. — For the first time in WM Phoenix Open history, the PGA Tour event closed its gates, even to ticket holders, due to crowd overflow during second and third-round play on Saturday.
Fans poured through the TPC Scottsdale gates starting at 7 a.m. local time for the early morning race general admission seating at the 16th hole Coliseum—as is tradition. But as the day went on, it became clear that the grounds were overflowing with spectators, many of whom didn’t have their tickets scanned upon entry.
The tournament closed the entrance at 2 p.m. ET due to safety concerns. The WM Phoenix Open Twitter account released the following statement.
“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,” it read.
Hoping to clear out some the hoards of fans, many bar locations around the golf course also stopped serving alcohol around the same time.
Attendees seated at the par-3 16th stadium hole could be heard chanting, “We want beer!” and the cries continued intermittently throughout the next few hours of play. The wrap-around structure holds 20,000 spectators, and includes both hospitality tickets and first-come, first-serve seats.
The 2024 tournament has been riddled with scheduling issues due to weather-related interruptions. On Thursday, play was suspended for three and a half hours due to unplayable conditions after rainfall and on Friday a frost delay postponed the delayed continuation of the first round. The leaders of the event will likely need to play more than 27 holes to finish the tournament by Sunday evening.
