Saturday at the 2025 WM Phoenix Open brought fans from across the world to watch one of the PGA tour’s signature golf tournaments. Many of those fans got an early start and witnessed changes in how safety is now handled on and off the green.
The morning started with a blueberry muffin at 3:45 a.m. for Ty Pennington, a Northern Arizona University student looking to snag the best seats for the 16th hole at the WM Phoenix Open.
When the gates opened, he sprinted a half-mile with thousands of others around the outskirts of TPC Scottsdale and secured those seats at 7:30 a.m.
“The energy here is what I would say is the most fun, you know, just building up to it all day. You finally get here, beer’s flowing," Pennington said.
Rafael Belloc, who was joined by several of his family members, was looking to start a new tradition: watching golf with your buddies.
"Golf brought me and my son closer, I came to share that with his friends" he said.
On safety, Fire Cpt. Dave Folio with the Scottsdale Fire Department said his department collaborated with local, state and federal agencies to impose new protocols to better serve attendees like Pennington and Belloc.
That included an increase in police presence, cutting off alcohol sales at 5 p.m. and better limiting ticket sales.
“We said, “Hey, how can make it better, not bigger?’” and that’s what we did," Folio said.
There's been a lower tolerance for misbehavior, he said, and new entrances have helped the 200,000 fans his department deals with on a daily basis move around more seamlessly.
Mark Marasco, who was running an exhibit Ford Motor Company at the event, said people feel like they have more control.
"They've really stepped up their game," he said. "Ford Motor Company is pleased with the way this whole thing has processed out this season."
A Scottsdale Police Department spokesperson said the number of arrests and trespasses at this year’s event will be released the week of Feb. 17. They said people have been arrested and or trespassed every day of the tournament so far.
Last year, 54 people were arrested and 73 were trespassed from the event.
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