By james art 
Fans walked out in droves at the 2024 WM Phoenix Open after alcohol sales were suspended. (File photo by Ethan Briggs/Cronkite News)
SCOTTSDALE – After 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 fairways are among the changes for the tournament, dubbed “The Greatest Show on Turf,” which often draws nearly 500,000 fans each year.
The goal is to make it “better, not bigger,” said Matt Mooney, WM Phoenix Open 2025 chairman.
At the 2024 tournament last February, problems arose throughout the weekend, from large attendance to parking shortages to a hiatus in alcohol sales. The rainy weather contributed to problems at TPC Scottsdale, including foot traffic in high-traffic areas due to the muddy conditions.
The changes include new ticket rules and changes to the event’s infrastructure.
The Thunderbirds, a nonprofit organization that runs the Open, is eliminating wristbands for the tournament, which is moving to digital ticketing. Fans can no longer select ‘good every day’ tickets, meaning fans will have to select a specific day when purchasing admission. This will allow the tournament to closely monitor how many people are on the course at any given time. In addition, Friday and Saturday ticket prices will increase to $125.
“I’ve heard people compare it to the Kentucky Derby, I’ve heard it compared to Coachella,” Mooney said. “This is much more than a golf tournament.”
The tournament also added a new entrance to the course by the 18th tee. Off the Greenway-Hayden Loop, it offers another way to minimize crowds as people enter the tournament.
Construction is underway at TPC Scottsdale to make the course more attractive to fans and players after rain during the 2024 tournament led to overcrowding and muddy conditions. (Photo courtesy of WM Phoenix Open)
The new entrance means moving some bleachers and concessions. Mooney hopes this will eliminate heavily trafficked areas and allow for more passability on the course.
The organization works with many different departments in Scottsdale, including police officers and the PGA Tour. The Thunderbirds also communicated with tour golfers to get their opinion from a player’s perspective.
Mooney and Chance Cosby, the Thunderbirds’ executive director, 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 we can get better,” Cosby told the Phoenix Business Journal. “It was very positive and they gave us some good ideas to work on.”
Those ideas include installing a new elevated walkway for players traveling from the clubhouse to the practice fields. Only the Thunderbirds 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 improvements made to help with overall viewing.
“We really wanted to find ways to improve the amenity set and provide a little more space for our general admission fans,” Mooney said.
The Thunderbirds and the city of Scottsdale hope to keep the tournament as one of the most popular events in sports, and Mooney insists that even with some notable changes to the tournament itself, the passion surrounding the event will not change.
“People think of golf and they think of quiet, slapping in the corner. This thing is anything but that,” he said.
“It has one of the most unique energies in all of sports.”