Everyone’s favorite party tournament is next on the PGA Tour schedule, as they head down to Scottsdale to play in the Waste Management Phoenix Open.
It’s an event that is known for not just the incredible amount of fans that they are able to host and let in during the week, but also for having it be a pretty wild event, where fans are allowed to go a bit crazy. You can read more about the event on our site, or even check out a fantasy angle if you are so inclined.
It’s not going to be anything like that this year, as they are only going to be allowing 5,000 fans in per day. Sure, it sounds like a decent amount, until you look at how many were there over the four-day tournament back in 2018.
The number that year at the Waste Management… Just over 700,000 people.
Back in 2016, they set the record for a single day with just over 200,000 people. Imagine that. You’re taking two big packed college stadiums, and cramming that into one venue. Sure, it helps that the Waste Management is spread over a couple of hundred acres, but it’s an incredible amount nonetheless.
This year, the number is just 5,000. Instead of a packed 16th hole (the famed par 3) where around 16,000 people could pack into the three-tiered viewing area, they are going to have it spaced out so just 2,000 people can be there.
Everyone is going to do their best to social distance. However, if people start to get rowdy, as they normally do, then you know they are going to end up bunched up trying to follow around the stars to watch them. Do you want to try and tell a bunch of drunk 25-year-olds they can’t follow Rory? I sure don’t.
There is a bright side to this if you do manage to get in. Likely, the 2,000 seats around the 16th are going to be filled the entire day, leaving just 3,000 or so walking around on the rest of the course. There might even be room for you to follow one of the stars without a ton of people around. Or, if you have a lesser-known golfer you like, you have a great chance to follow them, and maybe even interact a bit if you are lucky.
DISCLAIMER. Don’t be a pest. I say that if they look and talk to you, then you can respond. Be friendly and polite. Don’t be the annoying Mashed Potato guy.
If you’re able to get into the Waste Management to watch, good for you. Yes, you are going to be only of only 20,000 or so to do it over the event, but that means you are in the ~3% or so that are there compared to a normal year.