Could PGA Tour Ban Beer Cans, Add Nets to 16th Hole at Phoenix Open?

Thousands of fans at the WM Phoenix Open littered the par-3 16th last weekend, and Alex Miceli writes that PGA Tour players want to know what happens if someone gets hurt.

What are they going to do next?

That's what a player asked when discussing the fans around the 16th hole at the WM Phoenix Open last weekend at TPC Scottsdale.

If you missed the total idiocy of fans throwing beer cans, both empty and full, on the stadium par-3 that at times caused 10-minute delays to clear off the mess, suffice it to say you missed nothing but adults exhibiting the same intelligence as the can they heaved indiscriminately into the air.

What we did learn from last week in Phoenix, is that throwing beer cans is acceptable behavior, since nothing was done to curtail the action. It’s clear that beer sales were not contained.

Play was forced to be halted for cleanup when fans threw beer cans after both holes-in-one over the weekend at the 16th hole at the WM Phoenix Open. Alex Gould, The Republic

One player asked: What happens if a can hits a player or caddie and they lose hearing, sight or are injured to a point they cannot return to play golf?

Good question, thankfully one that did not have to be answered, but clearly lawyers would have been involved and the cost to the tournament and PGA Tour would have been significant.

The demeanor on the first 15 holes is relatively tame at Phoenix, but then players must run the gauntlet of 16 through 18, where fans are just out of control, yelling, screaming, and making a total nuisance of themselves in what is a crucial time for players as they try to make a living.

According to a player who has been in contact with a high-level source at the Tour, the PGA Tour is looking at potentially using nets along the grandstands and plastic cups instead of cans, which does not in any way control the rabid environment in the stands, but at least to some extent protects the players from airborne debris.

When reached for comment a Tour spokesmen said the following: “We will be working with The Thunderbirds and the tournament team to further ensure the safety and well-being of everyone involved with the WM Phoenix Open while continuing to celebrate the many aspects that make it unique and special for our fans.”

The Tour will need to control the unruly fans, however, who clearly cannot control themselves.

As a player noted, nowhere -- not a local bar or in Vegas -- can a person spend 10 hours drinking and then just get up and walk away.

Anywhere else, it just wouldn’t get that far; they would be cut off from buying any more alcohol and sent packing.

Of course, if that person gets in a car and starts driving, that is a whole other issue.

Alcohol and golf seem to go together like a hand and glove, not just at professional events, but even on a Saturday morning at the local muni, where coolers and six packs can be as important as a driver or putter.

It’s that attitude the PGA Tour should address: over-serving customers is never appropriate. If you let people consume too much alcohol, the eventual fallout is what we witnessed last week.

Is a charitable endeavor worth all this?

The answer should be no and while nets and plastic cups sound great, the real answer lies in control and moderation.

Let’s not lose focus on the real problem: drunken behavior in public is never acceptable.