Phoenix Open arrests nearly double from 2025

Scottsdale PD Drops the Hammer: 99 Arrests at WMPO and Birds Nest

If you thought the 109 DUI arrests on the roads surrounding TPC Scottsdale were the whole story from this year's WM Phoenix Open, hold your overpriced beer. Scottsdale Police released data Thursday showing an additional 99 arrests were made inside the tournament grounds and the Coors Light Birds Nest concert venue during the Feb. 2-8 event.

Of those 99 arrests, 88 came from inside the Open itself and 11 from the Birds Nest. Nearly a third of those busted — 32 people — were nabbed for underage drinking. Police also responded to a whopping 1,024 calls for service across both venues, with 857 at TPC Scottsdale and 167 at the concert grounds.

But getting arrested wasn't the only way to get shown the exit. A total of 202 fans were ejected and 90 were trespassed during the week. While some of those removals stemmed from violations of the WMPO Fan Code of Conduct, police noted most did not rise to criminal offense level.

The escalation from previous years is hard to ignore. In 2025, Scottsdale PD made 63 arrests during the tournament. That was up from 54 in 2024, 18 in 2023, and zero in 2022. This year's 99 represents a 57 percent jump from last year and a staggering trajectory for an event that had zero on-site arrests just four years ago.

Combined with the DUI task force numbers from outside the venue, the 2026 People's Open generated nearly 200 total arrests across all enforcement efforts.

Look, we all love what this tournament does for the Valley. The Thunderbirds have raised over $226 million for Arizona nonprofits. But when your golf tournament needs more cops than a music festival, it might be time for the fan base to have a serious conversation about where the line between rowdy and reckless actually sits.

Sources: AZ Family | East Valley Tribune | Scottsdale.org | KTAR