SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — One of the many traditions at the WM Phoenix Open is the Saturday morning footrace to the 16th tee. The coliseum that surrounds the hole can hold about 17,000 people but most of the seating is in the exclusive suites.
That makes the general-admission area a hot commodity. Those are first come, first serve, and once it’s full, no one gets in till someone leaves.
Early on Saturdays each year, well before the sun even thinks about rising in the East, fans will gather by the hundreds at the main entrance. At 7 a.m. sharp, the footrace, sometimes called The Running of the Bulls, begins.
It takes about 3-4 minutes to get to the grandstands at 16. Many fans make the sprint in full costume, be it a banana suit or maybe as one of the Sesame Street gang.
Rain or shine, this race takes place every year. The kicker is that while fans are in the GA seats by 7:15 a.m., the first golfers (those who start on No. 10) won’t get to the 16th hole on Saturday till around 11 a.m. or so.
