“It’s a rowdy and passionate crowd”: Justin Thomas in awe of fans partying till early morning at WM Phoenix Open

The massive crowd makes the WM Phoenix Open something special and Justin Thomas knows it. It just so happens that the Stadium Course at TPC Scottsdale becomes a genuine pressure cooker that players must handle as best they can.

Justin Thomas spoke to the press this Saturday, February 10, after finishing his second round. Among the topics he talked about were the fans and his admiration for them for putting up with the many delays and cancellations of the event.

This was part of what Justin Thomas said (via Golf.com):

"The crowds..? I saw people, groups of people, you know, 5:00, 5:15 [7:15 am, Eastern Time] this morning, just walking in, and just hands full of booze. So, I just can fathom how those people are feeling right now, but, if they're still standind, power to them and very happy that they're out chearing us on. It's a rowdy crowd, it's a passionate crowd, but it's what makes this tournament special."

The WM Phoenix Open is considered the golf tournament with the largest live attendance in the world. It is even known by the nickname "The People's Open." The average number of attendees each year at the event hovers around half a million fans.

The WM Phoenix Open is so popular that it holds the record for fan attendance for a round on the PGA Tour, with 201,003 attending one day of the 2016 edition.

Particularly famous is the Stadium Course's 16th hole, which becomes the only encapsulated hole in the world. This is because temporary bleachers are erected around it and can hold up to 20,000 people. For this reason, the hole is nicknamed "The Colisseum."

---

Justin Thomas at the 2024 WM Phoenix Open

Justin Thomas has asserted his status as one of the top favorites to contend for the 2024 WM Phoenix Open title. After the first 36 holes, he is T6 with a score of 8 under. Thomas is tied with four other players, including Scottie Scheffler and Jordan Spieth. They are all five strokes behind the transitional leader, Sahith Theegala.

Despite the delays and suspensions due to bad weather, Thomas has managed to string together two rounds of 69 and 65. His performance includes 11 birdies and three bogeys.

The group and tee time in which Thomas will play the third round is still to be defined, since the second round has not been completed. However, according to the X (formerly Twitter) PGA Tour Communications account, the third round is scheduled to tee off around 4:00 pm (Eastern Time) on Saturday (time yet to be confirmed).

Sahith Theegala leads the 2024 WM Phoenix Open, through 17th of the second round. Theegala is 13 under, one stroke ahead of Andrew Novak and Nick Taylor.