Arizona Golf Tournament Falls Into Chaos
The Waste Management Phoenix Open is one of the most anticipated stops on the PGA tour. Boasting not just an intense competition between some of the world's best golfers, but one of the biggest parties in the PGA.
Every year, hundreds of thousands of eager fans storm the gates of TPC Scottsdale to spend their weekend drinking, and to a lesser extent, watching golf.
This may sound like a perfect weekend for many, but as the tournament progressed it slowly spiraled into chaos.
More Club Than Golf Club
Golf tournaments are no stranger to excessive drinking taking center stage at their events, but the Phoenix Open is unlike any other. Considered one of the rowdiest courses on the PGA tour, as well as holding the loudest individual hole, the fans are what makes this tournament special.
When the fun began on Saturday, crowds were ready for another full day of drinking and yelling at athletes, but by noon things had started to go off the rails. Fans were becoming more and more unstable, getting into fights, streaking across the course, and throwing cans (both empty and full) at players.
The crowd began to grow at a rapid pace, and soon attendees were being trampled and fences were being ignored to just make more space.
Please Sir, Can I Have Some More?
Just as the chaos was getting too much, the tournament decided to take matters into their own hands.
At around 2 p.m. the unthinkable happened: alcohol stopped being served. The hoards of drunk college students became too much to bear and action needed to be taken. Within minutes "We want beer" chants began to ring out across the course.
The gates were also temporarily closed, stopping any further issues with crowd control. This hardly worked, however. The lack of beer and unsure staff brought out the worst in the attendees, causing semi-harmless riots to erupt throughout the course.
Fan reactions across the tournament were mixed, with some claiming that this was the best Phoenix Open in history, while others say it was the worst.
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