Drinking beer and cheering and booing to your heart’s content. The sound of whistles resonates endlessly, and cheering slogans are shouted here and there. This is a scene that can be seen every February on the American Professional Golf (PGA) tour, where ‘refined gentleman’s sports’ are held.
The PGA Tour WM Phoenix Open (total prize money of 20 million dollars), in which Scotty Scheffler (27, USA) successfully defended his title, is called the “golf liberation zone.” Like Major League Baseball (MLB) or American Football (NFL), crowds gather to cheer and boo the shots of the best golfers in the world. Spectators can also drink beer, so it is held as a sports festival comparable to the Super Bowl.
This year, more than 600,000 people visited TPC Scottsdale (par 71, 7261 yards) where the Phoenix Open was held. About 16,000 spectators entered the 16th hole (par 3), which is called the “Colosseum,” and went wild with every shot. In the final round held on the 13th (Korean time), Schaeffler, who was leading by one stroke, made a 4.6m par putt, and the crowd cheered. The crowd roared as if they had scored the winning goal in the World Cup. 바카라사이트
The cheerful atmosphere is heightened by the players’ showmanship. Kim Joo-hyung (21, Nike), who started conquering the PGA Tour with ‘Tom Kim’, also drew attention by rounding with a microphone in this tournament. For golf fans who cannot find Scottsdale, CBS, the relay company for the tournament, makes a unique attempt to fill the microphone with a specific player in a specific hole.
In the third round on the 12th, Kim Joo-hyung, who took the microphone, left 224 yards on the 13th hole (par 5), and after discussing with the caddy, he chose a 5-iron instead of a 6-iron and showed the process of sending the ball to the front of the hole without filtering. In other words, he prepared to rise to stardom by proving to the audience as well as homeroom fans that he had the stage constitution.
Waste Management (WM) president Pat Williams, who hosted the tournament, said, “The Phoenix Open is a tournament that values fans the most. We are concentrating on doing various fan services. This year, in consideration of safety and increased traffic, the number of visitors was limited for each round, but all tickets for the weekend were sold out and received great love. It’s just a pity that we couldn’t give more fans a chance.”
The Phoenix Open is nicknamed the ‘fan’s major tournament’. This is because, unlike other competitions where cheering is only around the green after watching the game in silence, you can cheer cheerfully throughout the competition. Of course, when the player is shooting, all the noise disappears. It’s only 20 seconds or less, so it doesn’t spoil the festive mood.
Athletes who react sensitively to the sound of video recording in the gallery and the sound of footsteps also enjoy this competition together. You can’t even see the awkwardness of swearing at the gallery or hitting the club by ruining a shot with noise. It is time for the Korea Professional Golf (KPGA) Korean Tour and the Korea Women’s Professional Golf (KLPGA) tour, which are about to open the season, to think about holding a tournament that breathes with fans.
Due to the excessively high golf course fees, the golf craze in the MZ generation has faded. Manners are good, but professional sports should be basically a festival. It’s not a sport if you don’t enjoy it.