{"id":433185,"date":"2025-02-06T15:55:06","date_gmt":"2025-02-06T20:55:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/?p=433185"},"modified":"2025-04-23T16:38:57","modified_gmt":"2025-04-23T16:38:57","slug":"phoenix-open-rule-changes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/golf\/phoenix-open-rule-changes\/","title":{"rendered":"Pivotal Phoenix Open Rule Changes to Prevent Disaster"},"content":{"rendered":"

After the events of Pebble Beach<\/a>, the 2025 Waste Management Phoenix Open is the next event held on Feb. 6th-9th.\u00a0 This also means the one-year anniversary of the 2024 disaster that happened last year.\u00a0 The result being that 54 fans were arrested by the end of the day with a total of 211 being kicked out.\u00a0 What happened, why did it happen, and are there plans to keep it from happening again? We check in with a detailed look at the Phoenix Open rule changers worth noting.<\/span><\/p>\n

Major Rule Changes for Phoenix Open<\/h2>\n

Course Conditions<\/h3>\n

During the 2024 WM Open, many things conspired together to create such a disaster.\u00a0 Right before the event, there was a large deluge that set everything in motion.\u00a0 Conditions on the course were muddy creating slippery conditions for players and fans alike.\u00a0 It created hazards for the players, but for the fans, it meant they had to crowd around anywhere dry unless they wanted to get stuck in the mud.\u00a0 Some videos went viral at the time of spectators slipping down hills leading to chaos.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Fan Behavior<\/h3>\n

A major contributor that fueled the biggest issues for the event was alcohol consumption.\u00a0 This combined with the crowding led to the crowd being a bit unruly.\u00a0 \u00a0The Waste Management Phoenix Open is a bit less muted than other golf events, most of which not usually encouraging more than the polite golf clap.\u00a0 At the WM Open fans can cheer and boo all they want between shots, the only qualifier being that fans are expected to be quiet when a player is standing over a ball.\u00a0 At various points, the players were being heckled by fans to the point where one player, Billy Horchel, ended up biting back.\u00a0 That was on top of him not having the best game that day having four bogeys.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

These attitude issues were a problem on every hole.\u00a0 <\/span>Then there were the people who got injured during the event.\u00a0 One woman who was drunk at the time ended up falling twenty feet from the stands and had to be taken away by ambulance.\u00a0 She was fine but still had to go to the hospital, and in response, all alcohol sales were halted.\u00a0 Finally, the event that went viral was the fight that broke out between two fans.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

New Rules and Setup<\/h3>\n

In response to what happened the Thunderbirds, and the Scottsdale Police Department have worked together to create a better environment.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n