For my money, the Waste Management Open PGA Tour event that takes place at the TPC Scottsdale this week and each year is the best party in sports.
The tournament takes place Thursday-Sunday this week and the final round, which starts early on Sunday is a perfect run-up to the Super Bowl.
I have been to NFC Championships games, NCAA Regional Semifinals and Finals, NASCAR races, the Breeders’ Cup, WWE Pay-per-views, XFL games in its one season, World Cup finals, as well as a Brazil-USA game on July 4, Heavyweight title fights in Las Vegas, U.S. Open golf tournaments, and even a Presidents Cup, and nothing compares to the four days of the WMO.
In 2018 the tournament set a PGA Tour attendance record as over 700,000 people attended the tournament, including 216,818 for the Saturday round.
It’s not even close for other tournaments.
What makes the event so special?
At the center of the tournament is the 16th hole, a non-descript, 140-yard, par 3. Non-descript that is until they build a stadium around the hole that is packed with people.
The tournament says attendance is 16,000-plus on the hole, but realistically it’s closer to 20,000 partying fools that cheer or jeer every shot.
I have been there. I have indulged. I have survived.
It’s a bucket list item for the fun-loving sports fan, and a “must go,” for anyone that likes to party!
I’ve played the hole a few times and it’s not intimidating from a golf perspective. Then again, there were a handful of people around – okay, one was Paul Azinger – when I played the hole as opposed to the frat party that breaks out every day during the tournament.
Did I mention the gambling that goes on the stands?
The main wager includes three people putting in say $5 to $10 each time a group comes through. The three rotate getting first pick of the upcoming threesome. The closest to the pin takes the money – that is unless the pro misses the putt to validate the shot.
He misses and the money rolls over to the next group, with an additional ante added to the wager. If the putting is not going well that day, there can be some decent pots to take home.
The year I was there, there were other wagers, like betting on which caddy will step on the green first. It has become known as a horserace in the stadium.
The caddies wear bibs which have the colors of red, blue or yellow, and people latch on to the colors to cheer the caddies on as they race toward the green. But this is a tradition that has taken a hit as the powers-that-be have frowned on the caddy races.
It is too bad as twice I saw a caddy sprint for the green after everyone teed off, once carrying the bag and the second time, leaving the bag for his pro to carry. The closer the caddy gets to the green, the louder the noise. One time the teenager carrying the scoreboard with the group put the board between his legs and started riding it like a horse.
For years, students from nearby Arizona State have led the cheers–and the boos–from a general admission spot close to the tee box.
The tradition of Arizona State students showing up for the weekend adds to the experience. Any ASU alum who comes through is greeted with showers of love, while a University of Arizona alum is heckled, and even a victim of “the newspaper tribute”, where the ASU students all hold up newspapers to read, as opposed to watching the Arizona golfer hit.
The group has established rapport with a number of the tour regulars. No one in the crowd is safe either, as the group will join in unison to persuade some to “chug” their beverage or wolf call at the groups of scantily clad women roaming the grounds.
Each year when former ASU player Phil Mickelson gets to the 16th tee, the place explodes. There is no greater love affair in all of golf than Mickelson and the fans at No. 16.
The chants of “we want Phil,” start when he’s still on the 15th green. As Mickelson walks through the tunnel on to the tee box, it’s as if a rock star has appeared on stage.
Some of the players have expressed dismay at the circus environment, but many have embraced it. Rickie Fowler, Bubba Watson and Dustin Johnson have all “fed the animals”, throwing hats into the stands.
The former Safeway Open, now the Fortinet Championships at the Silverado Resort in Napa each fall has tried to emulate the Waste Management Open, and while it is a fun time, it’s not going to be the WMO.
The 16th hole at the TPC Scottsdale has become a golf icon. It’s taken just another stop on the PGA Tour and turned it into an event. If you ever get the chance to attend the tournament, do it–and make sure you get a skybox ticket to No. 16!
Did I mention the skyboxes feature open bars? Hmmm.
Following the day’s activities on Wednesday-Saturday, there’s a concert/party in the Coors Light Birds Nest – a large, tented venue located next to the course.
The concerts are huge. The year the lineup is: Wednesday – Diplo and Cole Swindell; Thursday – Sam Hunt and Russell Dickerson; Friday – Macklemore; Saturday – Kygo.
For the kick-off this week on Saturday, Feb. 5, they dropped a stage into the middle of the 16th hole and had the “Concert in the Coliseum,” featuring Old Dominion opening for Thomas Rhett.
Then there’s golf and the TPC is heavy on risk/reward. It’s always a loaded field – most of the players love the social aspect and in fact, can be found in the VIP area of the Birds Nest each night.
So, who are the players to watch?
Jon Rahm (ASU alum), Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth, Xander Schauffele, and Brooks Koepka are all the ones to beat this week.
If you have been reading my PGA Tour previews each week, you know I play in a national fantasy golf contest where the rules change each week.
Last week at the AT&T I ended up finishing first in picking three golfers and their combined total under par determined the winner.
My top two – Speith and Patrick Cantlay – were picked by many and came through, shooting 17-and-15-under. What closed the deal was the third player. I went a bit out on a limb and went with Russell Knox. The Scotsman came through finishing at 7-under, giving me a team total of 39-under.
This week’s challenge was to pick two golfers and their combined money won determines the winner. I didn’t get in right away so the big guns I mentioned above were already picked, but I was still happy with the two I walked away with in Rickie Fowler – he loves the tournament and is not flustered by the crowd, and Daniel Berger, one of the most underrated golfers on the Tour.
By Dennis Miller