Fans left in droves during the 2024 WM Phoenix Open after alcohol sales were suspended. (File photo by Ethan Briggs/Cronkite News)
SCOTTSDALE – Following a chaotic 2024 tournament that received national scrutiny, organizers of the WM Phoenix Open announced sweeping changes to the PGA Tour’s most popular event.
A second entrance, higher ticket prices and wider walkways are among the changes for the tournament dubbed “The Greatest Show on Grass,” which often attracts close to 500,000 fans each year.
The goal is to make it “better, not bigger,” said Matt Mooney, the 2025 WM Phoenix Open chairman.
At the 2024 tournament last February, issues arose throughout the weekend, from heavy attendance to a parking shortage to a pause in alcohol sales. The rainy weather contributed to problems at TPC Scottsdale, including foot traffic in highly congested areas due to the muddy conditions.
Changes include new ticketing policies and alterations to the infrastructure of the event.
The Thunderbirds, a nonprofit that runs the Open, have eliminated wristbands for the tournament, which is moving to digital ticketing. Fans can no longer select “good any day” tickets, meaning that fans will need to choose a specific day when purchasing admission. This will allow the tournament to keep close track of how many people are on the course at a given time. Additionally, prices for tickets on Friday and Saturday will increase to $125.
“I’ve heard people compare it to the Kentucky Derby, I’ve heard it compared to Coachella,” Mooney said. “It’s so much more than a golf tournament.”
The tournament has also added a new entrance to the course next to the 18th tee. Off the Greenway-Hayden Loop, it offers another way to minimize crowding as people enter the tournament.
Construction is underway at TPC Scottsdale to make the course more inviting for fans and competitors after rain during the 2024 tournament led to overcrowding and muddy conditions. (Photo courtesy of WM Phoenix Open)
The new entrance means relocation of some stands and concessions. Mooney hopes this will eliminate highly congested areas and allow for more course walkability.
The organization collaborated with many different departments in Scottsdale, including police officials and the PGA Tour. The Thunderbirds also communicated with tour golfers to get their input from a player perspective.
Mooney and Chance Cozby, the executive director of the Thunderbirds, traveled to Los Angeles just days after the 2024 tournament ended to meet with players at the Genesis Invitational, a golf tournament held in Southern California.
“We just wanted their feedback on how can we get better,” Cozby told the Phoenix Business Journal. “It was very positive and they gave us some good ideas to work on.”
Those ideas included installing a new elevated walkway for players traveling from the clubhouse to the practice greens. The Thunderbirds alone are funding the changes.
Aside from the player experience, the Thunderbirds still want to improve the viewing aspect for fans.
Two popular stops along the course, the Taylor Morrison Fairway House and the Desert Oasis BBQ and Beer Garden, saw enhancements made in order to help with general admission viewing.
“We really wanted to find ways to improve the amenities set and provide a little bit more room for our general admission fans,” Mooney said.
The Thunderbirds and the city of Scottsdale hope to keep the tournament as one of the more popular events in sports, and Mooney insists that even with some notable changes to the tournament itself, the passion surrounding the event won’t change.
“People think of golf and they think kind of quiet, clapping in the corner. This thing is anything but that,” he said.
“It’s got some of the most unique energy in all of sports.”