SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — The Thunderbirds almost lost Mike Leonard.
He’s not a player, sponsor, or corporate suite buyer. But he is one of the WM Phoenix Open’s most loyal fans, traveling from Minnesota annually since 2000 with a small but vocal entourage, all clad in Vikings jerseys, who make their presence known on Fridays and Saturdays at TPC Scottsdale’s infamous 16th hole.
The middle school teacher from Chaska, Minn., loves the tournament so much that he spends hours each year creating Leonard’s List, full of detailed notes on players and many caddies that he and his crew then serenade said people with as they enter and walk off the tee of the par 3.
But last year’s chaotic, poor-weather-driven atmosphere—one Leonard said was in his bottom five of all time—made him rethink his usual multi-day commitment for 2025.
“I went into this year saying that if it’s similar to the last couple of years, then I might still come down but just walk a few holes for one day,” he said on Satruday afternoon. “But everything I’ve seen today and yesterday makes us all want to come back. The Thunderbirds really did their homework and have made it one of the best years, if not the best year, that I’ve seen in the 25 years I’ve been coming. Last year people were doing crazy stuff, yelling at players, diving down the muddy hills. That’s the kind of stuff I don’t like. We want it to be a party and fun, but it’s still a golf tournament.”
Mike Leonard (center in number 14 jersey) and his friends nearly didn’t come to the WM Phoenix Open this year because of the problems in 2024, but they were very happy with the changes made to the tournament. (Photo by Tom Mackin)
Ben Jared
The Thunderbirds journey to somehow create silver linings out of last year’s stormy conditions began immediately after Nick Taylor birdied the second playoff hole to defeat Charley Hoffman 12 months ago.
“They [the Thunderbirds] came immediately to a Player Advisory Council meeting at the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club and essentially fell on their sword, saying, ‘We missed the mark,’” said Steve Garcia, senior director of corporate and tournament security, PGA Tour. “That began a year-long process of bouncing ideas back and forth. The tour brought forward some things they really wanted to have fixed, and the Thunderbirds responded. I think the balance of the two has made the difference.”
In a week blessed by prime desert weather, with temperatures in the mid-70s, that difference has not gone unnoticed around TPC Scottsdale, where Thomas Detry of Belgium heads into the final round with a five-shot lead. The 32-year-old can become the 14th player to earn his first PGA Tour win at the WM Phoenix Open, a feat most recently accomplished by Scottie Scheffler in 2022.
“You can feel the difference not only in the energy and the way the spectators are acting, but also the flow of traffic,” said Garcia. “It’s commendable what the Thunderbirds have done to change the way people travel across the golf course. It’s simple, like no more 45-minute wait lines at urinals, or you can get a beer within 20 minutes. Those are things we monitor. When you have an angry spectator, a lot of other things pop out. It’s really been a significant difference in the atmosphere and the spectator experience. We’ve heard great things from the players about their experience on the golf course, as well.”
“Night and day is the operative term,” said Jock Holliman, a marshal at the 16th hole ever since Tiger Woods’ famous ace in 1997. “This is my 34th year overall working the tournament, and last year was the worst year [in terms of weather] that we’ve seen. It was a very difficult time for us.”
Holliman said moving to digital tickets and eliminating good-any-day tickets has helped to mellow the tournament’s famously non-mellow vibe. “It’s worked beautifully. The message is out,” he said. “People want to come and enjoy the golf experience, enjoy their friends, and party a little bit.”
“Limiting the ticket numbers and increasing the cost of general admission tickets [from $75 to $125 for Friday and Saturday] was actually a good thing,” Leonard said. “There were still people that came at 4 in the morning to line up for the run to 16, but the bleachers there didn’t fill up until 9 in the morning, which is different than in past years.”
A new zero-tolerance policy for fan behavior, primarily focused on the bleachers next to 16 green, has been enforced aggressively by the Thunderbirds in conjunction with the Scottsdale Police Department and Arizona State Troopers. “We set the tone early and a few unfortunates have to miss the event, but the message has gotten out,” said Holliman.
“The fans were great today,” said Michael Kim, tied for second at 13 under, five strokes behind Detry. “I think here, in years past, some people have said that they’ve gone overboard, but I didn’t see any of that today.”
“Honestly, the back nine here is really not a problem,” said Seamus Power, currently at six under. “There’s so many people there’s a constant buzz and it doesn’t really affect you too much. It’s different obviously, but after the first year of playing here [2019 in his case] you just get the hang of it and get on with it. It is what it is. I think if it was like this week all the time then it’d be tough, but I think this whole course and atmosphere here really works.”
“I think we were ready for some changes, but I don’t know if they would have been quite as dramatic, and I’m not sure we would have moved to single-day general admission tickets,” admitted Holliman. “But we talked to a lot of the pros and got a lot of good feedback from the PGA Tour. All of the changes this year have come together.”
The beautiful weather at the golf course and 18th green was far different this year than the storms that affected the tournament in 2024. (Photo by Tom Mackin)
Another consensus winning move has been the creation of a new entrance/exit to the right and above the 18th hole. “That’s made a huge difference in the ability for people to enter and exit the golf course and not get caught up behind 18 green and the original exit out, which was a safety factor that we were concerned with based on the amount of people coming to the tournament,” said Garcia.
“We were confident that we knew the right tweaks, but it’s going even better than we hoped,” said Matt Mooney, tournament chairman. “The new entrance next to 18, what that’s done to change the traffic patterns on that area is unbelievable.”
There’s also been a noticeable increase in the presence of law enforcement and security across the course. “We’ve heard from the players that’s made a big difference,” Mooney said. “There’s 25-30 percent more people [in uniform and undercover] out there than last year. One other thing that is a big deal this year is the alcohol compliance teams from the state (of Arizona) that have come in. There’s been a significant amount of underage drinking enforcement that has made a big difference this year.”
“We’re back to where we want to be,” added Holliman. “We have found the sweet spot. It’s a nice blend of ‘The People’s Open,’ but people who understand golf etiquette, respect the players and respect the other fans. But as good as it’s been these first three days, you never whistle walking past the graveyard. Until the last putt drops on Sunday, we’re on pins and needles.”
This article was originally published on golfdigest.com
