SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Rowdy fans at the WM Phoenix Open kept the Scottsdale Police Department busy over the weekend with dozens of arrests, hundreds of people ejected from events and more than 70 trespassing incidents.
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Police said fans were ejected for a variety of reasons including a lack of compliance with liquor laws or violations of rules in place by the PGA concerning fan behavior.
VERSIÓN EN ESPAÑOL: Docenas de arrestados en WM Phoenix Open durante el fin de semana
Another issue that prompted police response was the issue of trespassing with more than 70 attendees being trespassed from the open.
On Monday, Scottsdale police released the following statistics about the event:
- Arrests: 54
- Ejections: 211
- Trespassing:73
Those numbers are up from previous years in each category, according to police. In fact, the number of arrests tripled while the number of ejections doubled from 2023 to 2024. And in 2022 no arrests were made at all, according to police.
2023 statistics
- Arrests: 18
- Ejections: 102
- Trespassing: 41
2022 statistics
- Arrests: 0
- Ejections: 90
- Trespassing: 14
Scottsdale police said they expect to release a more comprehensive stat sheet about the event sometime on Tuesday.
Some golfers also reported issues with some attendees at the open. The golfers reported frustration with hecklers.
MORE DETAILS: Golfers show frustration with fans at WM Phoenix Open
Two of them, Zach Johnson and Billy Horschel, were caught in social media videos having tense exchanges with fans.
The Open is one of the highest-attended tournaments on the PGA tour. Over the years has gained a reputation as the rowdiest tournament on the tour.
MORE DETAILS: Tournament officials issue apology after closing gates on Saturday at the WM Phoenix Open
On Saturday, the crowd got so big, the tournament had to stop letting fans in and stop the shuttle service to the course from parking lots. Fans who did decide to leave the tournament were able to take shuttles back to their parking lots.
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