SCOTTSDALE, AZ — Scottsdale police say the number of arrests, ejections, and trespassers at the WM Phoenix Open jumped well over those reported in the previous two years of the event.
Officials say officers responded to 653 calls for service and made 54 arrests. There were 211 ejections and 73 trespassing incidents.
All of those numbers were increases from 2022 and 2023:
There were also underage liquor violation arrests made, but police did not have specifics on those numbers, police say.
Scottsdale Mayor David Ortega said Tuesday that he wants "necessary change" to the Open next year after the tournament drew criticism for several reasons over the weekend.
“The Phoenix Open has an outstanding reputation and has successfully attracted millions of fans over the last 37 years to Scottsdale, without the unruly behavior that we witnessed last week,” said Mayor David D. Ortega. “I am confident that the Thunderbirds are committed to make necessary changes so the next Open is safe and enjoyable for all.”
This year, organizing officials say it was the rainy weather and mud that caused the problems; those conditions led to densely packed groups of people trying to avoid getting soaked on Saturday, which caused overcrowding.
A growing bottleneck at the Open’s main entrance forced organizers to forgo ticket-checking to ease the pressure. At one point, the gate was closed entirely for several hours, and some food and alcohol sales were paused.
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