Scottsdale leaders react to 'disappointing' Phoenix Open fiasco, vow changes

The WM Phoenix Open needs to change, Scottsdale's elected officials said after one of the city's showcase events descended into drunken chaos.

The annual tournament ended with a record-high number of arrests, infuriating professional golfers and longtime fans, some of whom questioned whether they would return next year.

Tournament events took place at the TPC Scottsdale golf course from Feb. 3 through Feb. 11. The first round of pro golf teed off Feb. 7.

Hundreds of thousands attend the tournament each year and it generates a half-billion dollars in statewide economic impact, according to Arizona State University researchers.

The nonprofit that runs the tournament, called The Thunderbirds, along with its companion foundation, Thunderbirds Charities, gave a combined $16 million to charities and service organizations in 2021, according to their most recently available tax filings.

Waste Management Phoenix Open reaction: PGA Tour fans slammed as 'totally out of control'

The tournament is billed as "The People's Open" because it's long embraced fans who attend the open to party just as much as to watch golf, a sharp contrast to the quiet and polished vibe at most other pro golf tournaments nationwide.

But it went off the rails last weekend when scores of fans were arrested and hundreds ejected as crowds, mud and alcohol threatened to overwhelm the event. Thousands of attendees may have entered without a ticket. When inside, some fans' heckling disrupted golfers, and crowds were so rowdy that the tournament halted alcohol sales Saturday.

The Arizona Republic tried to contact representatives of The Thunderbirds Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. The Republic also reached out Tuesday to Pro EM, the private security firm that worked the WM Phoenix Open. Neither responded.

Scottsdale City Councilmember Kathy Littlefield was concerned the debacle could impact the tournament's viability. But she's hopeful the organizers will keep their promise to address the issue by next year. The city needs to play a role, too, in ensuring security, parking and other issues are also fixed by 2025, she said.

"I don't want it to negatively impact Scottsdale and what we do. The Waste Management Open has for years been a fantastic event and has been very popular," she said in an interview.

"It was just very disappointing that people caused this to happen and possibly may affect the outcome of other (Phoenix Opens). I hope not. I think that we can make some changes and make it better next time and, and not have these situations occur again."

It's not yet clear why this year's Phoenix Open became so chaotic. Though known for its raucous 16th hole, the tournament week has gone relatively smoothly for nearly four decades. Theories range from the week's rainy weather, forcing fans to squeeze together in the few areas that weren't muddy, to overly large crowds, to too few security guards for the crowd size.

Scottsdale officials have an equally varied list of areas they believe need to be addressed by next February.

Councilmember Betty Janik talked about additional "crowd control," with a more robust police presence to supplement the tournament's private security guards.

She, Littlefield and Councilmember Solange Whitehead all mentioned a need for more parking. It takes 30 minutes to walk from some lots to the golf course's front gate, which floods the surrounding residential areas with rowdy fans.

Janik also said the city and tournament organizers should also consider fundamental shifts to the Open's party-like character, which include limiting the number of tickets and amount of alcohol sold and changing the way the WM Phoenix Open is marketed.

"The city needs to realize that we need to go back and reevaluate," Janik said. "We need to look at the amount of liquor sales. And in the long term, I think we need to evaluate how we advertise it. It is supposed to be a golf tournament, not a party with inappropriate behavior due to alcohol consumption."

Despite their concern and consensus that major changes are needed, Scottsdale officials were largely hopeful that 2024's issues wouldn't recur.

Whitehead said even the "record number of arrests and people that were required to leave the event" may be a positive because it could deter fans from acting up in the future out of fear they'll get nabbed.

"Scottsdale is a great place to come and have fun, but it's a really bad place to come and misbehave or break the law," she said. "If our fire and police had not been on top of it, we could have had injuries. But it turns out they did what police and fire are supposed to do. They controlled the crowd. They arrested people who were breaking the law."

Scottsdale Mayor David Ortega pointed to the tournament's long history of being well-run as another reason he believes it will overcome the one bad year.

'A little bit too much': Fans, players call for change after chaos at WM Phoenix Open

In a news release, the mayor wrote that "the Phoenix Open has an outstanding reputation and has successfully attracted millions of fans over the last 37 years to Scottsdale, without the unruly behavior that we witnessed last week."

He expressed confidence tournament organizers were "committed to make necessary changes so the next open is safe and enjoyable for all.”

Reporter Sam Kmack covers Tempe, Scottsdale and Chandler. Follow him on X @KmackSam or reach him at sam.kmack@arizonarepublic.com.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Scottsdale leaders react to 'disappointing' Phoenix Open