Beautiful weather and beautiful people was the theme for this year's Phoenix Open. The Open, held Jan. 20-26 at the Tournament Players Club (TPC) in Scottsdale turned into more of a social event than a golf tournament.
For golf enthusiasts this was a great opportunity to see some of the best golfers compete in a Professional Golf Association (PGA) tournament. For many others, the Phoenix Open was a chance to socialize and do some heavy drinking.
It is rumored that the Open is the rowdiest tournament on the PGA tour. With the purchase of a $20 ticket, I too was able to be a part of the action and can say this rumor holds true.
From the time that I walked past security at the front gates and saw stacks of 944 magazines, I knew this wasn't your typical golf tournament.
From my perspective, the Open established a new breed of golfing fans. Women were decked out in high heels and low cut tops and men took the opportunity to brush up on their pick-up lines. Many of those in attendance were young, good-looking, single and knew little about golf, but they did know how to have a good time.
Throughout the entire day I was always within 50 yards of a beer tent and half-naked girls handing out flyers to promote the local bars in Scottsdale. It's a little difficult to figure if people came to the TPC to see golf or if the goal was to promote drinking.
If drinking was the goal, the fans were not complaining. The beer lines were at least 40 people deep throughout the entire day. Fans seemed to be more concerned about the beer tents running out of beer than who was leading the tournament.
I never knew you could have so much fun at a golf tournament and never see a single golf swing. Only in Scottsdale would a PGA event become more of a social gathering than a golf tournament.
Reach the reporter at lauren.carper@asu.edu.