After what happened in this year’s edition, where rain, mud, crowds, and countless interruptions disrupted the normal course of the Waste Management Phoenix Open, the tournament organisers have announced an important list of changes for 2025. Among them, a new entrance to the stands near the 18th tee, which are already starting to be erected. A modification prompted by the surge of pedestrian traffic arriving at TPC Scottsdale on the two busiest days of the tournament, Friday and Saturday.
“We believe this new access will significantly improve the flow of fans entering and exiting the course,” said tournament chairman Matt Mooney in a statement. “It will also provide a shorter walk for fans near the high-demand areas, alongside holes 16, 17, and 18,” he added. But this is not the only novelty the organisation intends to introduce in the next edition of the tournament to enhance the fan experience…
Ticket sales will be entirely digital. There will no longer be ‘good any day’ passes, so all tickets must be purchased specifically for the day each fan wishes to attend. This year, due to heavy rain, the grassy slopes turned into real mud pits, something that forced the removal of a place where hundreds of fans usually gather, who then crowded behind the 18th green. Now, the facility will include expanded walkways, and the width of the path from the 17th fairway to the 11th tee will be doubled.
Food and drink vendors will also be relocated to balance pedestrian traffic, and the general admission areas near holes 7 and 12 are being redesigned, with the idea that these new spaces will draw fans away from the always crowded area of the 10th green and the 11th tee, as well as the last three holes. “We are improving two of the most popular spots on the course, and fans will have better visibility,” assures Mooney.
The WM Phoenix Open of 2025, which will be the 90th edition of the tournament, will once again conclude on the weekend of the famous Super Bowl, with the dates set from 6th to 9th February. Despite this year’s issues, the event achieved a record fundraising of 17.5 million dollars for charity. This is expected to increase next year with all these changes aimed at avoiding the problems experienced in 2024.
