The ‘greatest show on turf’ is having a makeover after organisers of the WM Phoenix Open announced a series of infrastructure plans for TPC Scottsdale to build a ‘better not bigger’ event in February.
The announcement comes after the 2024 edition turned into chaos after tournament organisers were overwhelmed after a combination of torrential rain and record crowds threatened fan safety.
“Each and every year, The Thunderbirds review the previous tournament and look for ways to improve,” tournament chairman Matt Mooney said in a statement. “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.”
The famous 16th hole will of course be central to the changes. Tweaks will be aimed at increased the flow of spectator traffic near the par-3 to avoid the crowd blockages that caused frightening scenes last year.
A new fan entrance will be designed near the 18th hole while the walkways between the 11th and 17th holes will be expanded with food and beverage kiosks being repositioned in order to ease crowd congestion.
“We understand the importance of ease and accessibility for our fans to navigate the golf course,” Mooney said. “Expanding these key walkways and repositioning some of our vendors, particularly around high-traffic areas like the 16th and 10th holes, will provide fans better access to popular venues and viewing areas.”
Historically bad weather last year prompted tournament organisers to cross honour tickets on the weekend which caused serious crowd control issues.
The flow of visitors into the tournament grew so intense that volunteers stopped scanning tickets altogether leading to the tournament shuttering the gates and halting alcohol sales.
This season the tournament will be an all digital ticket affair in order to control the more than quarter of a million visitors it attracts every year.
“We are upgrading technology to provide a more seamless experience for our fans who purchase general admission tickets,” Mooney said. “By eliminating physical general admission tickets, good-any-day tickets and tickets sold by third-party partners, we not only improve the buying and scanning process, we also improve our oversight of crowd management.”
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