Drunk Fans, Arrest & Now Darkness, WM Phoenix Open Third Round Suspended

Many things moved on the ‘moving day’ at the WM Phoenix Open, except the leaderboard. The third round has been rescheduled due to darkness at 6.11 PM after high drama saw one man get arrested, engulfing golf at TPC Scottsdale. Notorious for having the rowdiest crowd, the People’s Open will resume the penultimate round on Sunday at 7.30 AM local time.

As of now, Nick Taylor, who recently broke Phil Mickelson’s 18-hole course record, maintains the solo lead at 13-under. The Canadian was the runner-up last year, as Scottie Scheffler claimed the $3.6 million paycheck. Sahith Theegala, the first-round leader, is in the hunt for this second PGA Tour victory, giving the Canadian a hot chase at 12-under. Both Taylor and Theegala were on the sixth hole when Tour suspended the play.

Doug Ghim and Andrew Novak were tied for third place at 11-under. Whereas Jordan Spieth, who fired up the crowd early on with wizardry with his wedge, made three birdies on the third round for a solo fifth place in the leaderboard. Scheffler, who is eying three consecutive WM Phoenix Open titles, tied for the 10th spot at 8-under with 11 holes left to play. 

The postponement of the third round means it might clash with the Super Bowl. The third round’s ‘moving’ to Sunday will also mean that the final round is perhaps headed for a dreaded Monday finish. Unless the weather once again plays spoilsport as it did during the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Regardless, the mayhem and madness will perhaps continue to go on as the biting cold and heavy showers fail to dampen the mood in Arizona. 

Things quickly went out of hand at the WM Phoenix Open

Free-flowing beers seem to have finally caused some trouble, as, reportedly, alcohol was limited in the third round. Moreover, for the first time in its long history, TPC Scottsdale stopped visitors from entering the premises around 2 p.m. local time. Traditionally, the moving day sees anywhere between 150,000 to 200,000 people. Theegala said in the press conference, “An officer was telling me people got too drunk, but it was all in good fun. Hopefully everyone stayed safe.” Not everyone was, apparently.

ESPN reported that one woman fell down from the strands. Thunderbirds, the charity organization synonymous with the WM Phoenix Open, said in an official statement that the victim was promptly given medical attention. It was not clear if they were inebriated or not.

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It’s a blast, even if some people aren’t the best drunks,” Theegala also added while speaking to presspersons. There was ample evidence for the latter part. One fan called out to Jordan Spieth’s security, allegedly telling the police, “Come to this side of the ropes and settle it like a man.” He was later arrested, per reports. The WM Phoenix Open exceeded its reputation the year when it had steep competition from LIV Golf Las Vegas and a natural adversary in weather.

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