It’s the PGA Tour’s biggest party at the WM Phoenix Open but it also made for one of the most chaotic scenes in golf as fans embarked on a mad rush to the 16th hole stadium on Friday, breaking through gates at 5.30am.
Gates were not scheduled to open until 7am, but some fans were so eager they burst through 90 minutes early, although local police insisted they did not actually get onto the golf course at that time – merely into another check point.
As has now become the norm, huge crowds gathered before the sun came up at TPC Scottsdale but an alarming sight captured by a local news crew saw some fans seemingly storm the barriers to try and get into the course ahead of schedule.
JUST IN: Crowd rushes into WM Phoenix Open 90 minutes ahead of opening time #abc15 https://t.co/GppDoNjpog pic.twitter.com/qMNGVLAhi7February 10, 2023
Local police told ABC15 news that none of the early fans running in managed to get on the course and that security decided to open the first gates early when the crowd started to get a bit rowdy and create a public safety concern.
The little par three with a huge reputation is one of the most well-known on the PGA Tour and fans are just desperate to get their place in the grandstand at TPC Scottsdale’s signature hole.
It’s actually become almost like a tradition now, as back in 2020 local news captured a massive herd of golfing fans charging in again before the sun was even up early in Scottsdale, when hundreds, if not thousands, of golf fans had arrived at the gates to try and bag a top spot on the 16th hole.
Before the sun was even up, fans made a mad dash to get a good spot at the 16th Hole at the Waste Management Phoenix Open on Saturday. 😲🏌⛳ pic.twitter.com/Eud55ZASZcFebruary 1, 2020
It actually looked more like the start of a fun run than a day at a PGA Tour tournament three years ago, when stewards managed to get fans to line up while barriers were removed, and the race began.
The undoubted rowdiest PGA Tour event on the circuit has now seemingly become one with the earliest start for fans trying to get in, but much like the action in the infamous stands around 16, organisers will just need to keep an eye on it to avoid these early stampedes from becoming a dangerous tradition.
Trying to figure out what happened. About a thousand people waiting outside #WMPhoenixOpen just ran through gates. Security said gates weren’t set to open until 7. Some are saying a supervisor gave permission to open early…
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