Iowa Golfer Yells at Fans During World's Drunkest Golf Tournament

The entire world watched the Super Bowl last night and while that was (obviously) the center of the sporting world, there was plenty of entertainment earlier on in the day for golf fans. The Waste Management Phoenix Open Golf tournament was held from February 8th through February 11th and it is regarded as the drunkest tournament in golf.

From an outside perspective, golf can come off as a "hoity-toity" sport. Some may even use the word elitist. While that can be true at certain golf courses, country clubs, or tournaments, the Phoenix Waste Management Open throws the idea of golf being a "gentlemen's game" completely out of the window.

The Waste Management Phoenix Open has turned into one of the biggest parties of the year for golf fans. This year's tournament became so chaotic that during the Saturday matches, alcohol sales were suspended, according to the Independent. Some of the professional golfers playing in the tournament seem to enjoy the spectacle while others...have started to express concerns and their dislike for the tournament.

Heated Moment for Zach Johson

Iowa City Native and 2007 Master's champion, Zach Johnson, was the captain of Team USA in the 2023 Ryder Cup tournament. This unique golf tournament puts Americans vs Europeans against each other. Team USA fell to the European players last year and some fans in the WM Phoenix Open gallery were sure to let Zach hear about it. As you can see, he eventually grew pretty tired of hearing from the fans.

Booze-filled fans have made the Phoenix Waste Management Open a lot of fun for spectators and fans who are watching on TV. It's unlike any golf tournament you normally watch on your big-screen TV. Fans yell, they drink, and they party all day. While it might be great golf entertainment for golf fans or even a casual golf watcher, the players appear to be getting annoyed.

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Other Golfer's Negative Interactions

This wasn't the only negative moment a golfer had with fans during this tournament. Billy Horschel was caught having this interaction with fans.

The language is a little too strong in this video for this article but I'll paraphrase it for you...You can see the moment captured on the Ziregolf Instagram page but as a warning, it is NSFW.

"Buddy, when he's holding a shot, shut the hell up. Come on. He's trying to hit a damn golf shot here, this is our f****** job."

Former BMW PGA Championship winner, Byeong Hun An also shared his displeasure with this year's tournament on Social Media. He shared "S*** show. Totally out of control on every hole. Played here multiple times over the years and it was fine until today."

Most professional golfers know what they're getting into when playing in the Waste Management Phoenix Open. It's no secret that this golf tournament is full of fans who have been drinking for hours on end. Most of the time, most of the people who show up are there to have fun and are respectful of the players.

In the social media age, this tournament has turned into more of a spectacle than a golf tournament, as everyone who goes wants to share their experience on social media. Which has turned into everyone wanting to show up there to party.

Will this tournament be able to continue operating in this fashion? Probably. Most golfers will be fine with putting up with unruly fans for a chance at winning 1.584 million dollars. That's exactly what Charley Hoffman did after coming out victorious in the 2024 WM Phoenix Open.