Yesterday, 64,273 fans were in attendance, which was well short of the Sunday record of 93,475 in '07GETTY IMAGES
The PGA Tour Waste Management Phoenix Open saw yet another "record-setting attendance week as the event cracked the 700,000 barrier for the first time, drawing 719,179 fans for the week," according to John Davis of the ARIZONA REPUBLIC. Yesterday, 64,273 fans turned out to watch Gary Woodland defeat Chez Reavie in a playoff, which was "well short of the Sunday record of 93,475" in '07 but it put the "weekly total at 719,179," which shattered the '17 mark of 655,434 (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 2/5). In Phoenix, Katherine Fitzgerald noted Saturday's crowd "set a single-day attendance record, with 216,818 fans, making it the largest crowd to ever watch a golf event." The previous record for "single-day attendance" at the Phoenix Open was 204,906 fans on Saturday last year. To pull in crowds of this size, Tournament Chair Carlos Sugich "pointed to a few factors: great weather, a strong leaderboard and new amenities." Additional bleachers, revamped concession areas and a "new craft beer house on the 7th hole were added to help attract new fans and spread out the massive crowds" (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 2/4).
PARTY ON! In Phoenix, Dan Bickley wrote the 16th hole at TPC Scottsdale has become "one of the most electric gatherings in professional sports." And after a massive crowd packed the course on Saturday, it made one "wonder if the future of this golf course transcends the craziest party golf, and a tournament that keeps smashing attendance records." When the gates opened at 7:00am MT on Saturday, there was a "mad dash to claim the most coveted seats at the 16th hole, a venue that now holds over 20,000 people." This year, the Thunderbirds, the group that organizes the event, "debuted a Breakfast Club concept for the early birds, importing a disc jockey while handing out bottles of water and 3,700 breakfast burritos" (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 2/4). ESPN.com's Josh Weinfuss wrote what makes the 16th hole "unique -- with an atmosphere that can't easily be re-created -- is that no other hole on tour is completely enclosed." For fans "lucky enough to snag a general admission seat or get a pass for one of the skyboxes, they get to break every conventional golf rule." Players might "love the rowdy atmosphere, but that doesn't mean PGA Tour officials should use it as a blueprint for other courses." Golfer Justin Thomas said, "Unless you get 20,000 people on a hole and you're guaranteed to do that, it just doesn't need to be replicated" (ESPN.com, 2/2).
TOO MUCH OF A GOOD TIME? GOLF.com's weekly roundtable discussed if the massive crowds and party atmosphere at the Phoenix Open have become untenable, and SI's Alan Shipnuck said, "It will take Phil [Mickelson] and Jordan [Spieth] and a bunch of other top players skipping the event before any efforts are made to change." Golf magazine's Josh Sens: "It only becomes untenable if the pros all decide they're fed up playing it. Do you think that's going to happen?" SI's Jeff Ritter said, "Even if Tour pros turned on this event and called for more decorum, or skipped it entirely, the ship has long since sailed. Perhaps it's approaching untenable, but it's hard to look at those record attendance numbers and expect anything to change." Golf.com's Sean Zak: "As long as the fans keep coming, paying tickets, buying beer and recycling, the players are going to be somewhat uncomfortable. Don't like it? Don't join the field" (GOLF.com, 2/4). GOLFCHANNEL.com's Ryan Lavner wrote there is "no turning back now." Tourney organizers can "put more undercover cops in the stands to try and toss the overserved abusers, but it's an impossible task." It is a "party, with a golf tournament getting in the way." If players "don't like where the event is headed ... there are 43 other events on the Tour calendar" (GOLFCHANNEL.com, 2/4).
