Over the past few years, the WM Phoenix Open has earned the reputation of being one of the most exciting events for fans to attend during the course of the PGA Tour season. While that atmosphere was a welcome addition at first, it has slowly devolved into, at times, an unsavory scene.
Last year in particular, the event lost control of the partying and fan behavior, which caused some tense moments between fans and players.
While speaking with Golfweek, eight-time PGA Tour winner Billy Horschel relayed a conversation he had with WM Phoenix Open tournament director Chance Cozby, saying the event has “crossed the line” over the past few years.
“I said, I love this event. I love the golf course. I love playing in front of fans. I love a little banter back and forth, and I have no problem with that, but there gets a point where it crosses a line, and it's crossed the line a little bit the last couple years,” Horschel recalled. “And I said, ‘Chance, we just need to rein it in a little bit.’”
Horschel was one of the players who was seen scolding the fans in 2024 for their behavior. At one point, Billy told a fan to “shut the hell up.” (Warning: the below tweets contain profanity.)
Billy Horschel laying into the gallery at the WM Phoenix Open, rightfully so.
— Get In The Hole (@GetInTheHolePod) February 11, 2024
“When he’s taking a shot, shut the hell up. It’s our f**king job.” pic.twitter.com/lmPEyrM1Tp
After the 2024 WM Phoenix Open got out of control, the Thunderbirds, who are the hosts of the event, issued a statement assuring all parties involved that the issues will be addressed in 2025.
“Each and every year, the Thunderbirds review the previous tournament and look for ways to improve,” tournament chairman Matt Mooney said. “We’ve been working closely with the PGA Tour, Scottsdale Police and Fire, title sponsor WM and our other valued partners to make impactful changes for 2025. We are excited to announce these enhancements as the countdown to ‘The People’s Open’ begins.”
Horschel was supportive of the Thunderbirds with his comments, calling them a “great organization.”
“The Thunderbirds are a great organization, and I didn’t want them to start getting a black eye for the way the event was being seen from the players perspective,” Horschel said. “The last couple years just got a little bit out of hand. Fan behavior in some instances was crossing the line where I was concerned that those guys that do enjoy playing here may have not come back in the future, and that’s not what you want.
“People were coming out and thinking they can just say whatever they want on any hole, and they think that’s what the golf tournaments about. As players, we just sort of finally said enough is enough, and we expressed our frustration a little bit more.”
Last year, the tournament had to stop alcohol sales during the third round due to the fan behavior.
Waste Management bartender explains why they cut off alcohol: pic.twitter.com/mfbwKuWfoA
— Tour Golf (@PGATUOR) February 13, 2024
This year, all signs point to the event being far more orderly and under control.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Billy Horschel Thinks WM Phoenix Open Fans Have ‘Crossed the Line’ in Recent Years.
