Getty The Waste Management Open has the liveliest crowd on the PGA Tour.
The always lively Waste Management Open will start on Thursday at the Tournament Players Club in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Coverage of the 2019 Farmers Insurance Open will be broadcast on the Golf Channel (Thursday through Sunday) and NBC (Saturday through Sunday). You can find the broadcast schedule here. If you don’t have cable or can’t get to a TV, you can watch a live stream of both the Golf Channel and NBC on your computer, phone, or streaming device via one of the following cable-free, live-TV streaming services:
The Golf Channel and NBC (available live in most markets, which you can find here) are two of 75-plus channels included in the main Fubo bundle, which is largely tailored towards sports.
You can start a free 7-day trial of FuboTV right here, and you can then watch a live stream of the tournament on your computer via the FuboTV website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, or other supported device via the FuboTV app.
If you can’t watch live, FuboTV comes with 30 hours of Cloud DVR (with the ability to upgrade to 500 hours), as well as a “72-Hour Lookback” feature, which allows you to watch coverage of the tournament up to three days after it airs even if you forgot to record it.
In addition to a Netflix-like on-demand streaming library, Hulu also offers a bundle of 50-plus live TV channels, including both the Golf Channel and NBC (available live in most markets, which you can find here).
You can start your “Hulu with Live TV” subscription right here, and you can then watch a live stream of the tournament on your computer via the Hulu website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Echo Show, or other streaming device via the Hulu app.
If you can’t watch live, “Hulu with Live TV” comes with 50 hours of Cloud DVR storage (with the ability to upgrade to “Enhanced Cloud DVR,” which gives you 200 hours of DVR space and the ability to fast forward through commercials).
The Golf Channel and NBC (available live in select markets, which you can find here) are both included in the “Sling Blue” plus “Sports Extra” channel bundle.
You can start a free 7-day trial right here, and you can then watch the tournament live on your computer via the Sling TV website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, or other streaming device via the Sling TV app.
If you can’t watch live, you can get 50 hours of cloud DVR storage as an additional add-on.
2019 Waste Management Phoenix Open Preview
The event is known for its raucous crowd, by PGA Tour standards. It regularly draws more spectators than any other event on the tour, amassing a tournament record 719,179 for the week in 2018.
In 2017, police made 118 arrests at the event; most were related to alcohol.
“I can see why some guys who’ve been out here for a long time find it off-putting. It can kind of wear on you after a few years,” said pro Brandt Snedeker, according to Golfweek. “If you embrace it, it’s a lot of fun. The fans are obviously having a great time. You have to go into it with the right mindset, accepting that you’re going to get some loud, crazy people yelling at you all day.”
Snedeker’s best finish in the event came in 2013, when he placed second.
Last year, Scottsdale police arrested a streaker on the 17th hole.
“We encourage golf fans to enjoy the tournament, be courteous and to drink responsibly,” Sgt. Ben Hoster said, according to The Arizona Republic.
The 16th hole is typically the loudest, with stands of spectators bearing down on golfers from all angles.
“Everyone loves 16. It’s the other holes. It’s 11 tee box and 14 green, where people are on their way out or whatever, had a few too many drinks, they start getting after you a little bit,” Snedeker added, per Golfweek. “That’s when you’re like, ‘Okay, come on!’ But 16 is great. You’re expecting chaos and it is chaotic. It’s when you’re not expecting chaos it’s off-putting.”
Arizona State University alum Jon Rahm has been a fan favorite at the event since he turned pro in 2016.
“It’s unique,” Rahm said, according to Sporting News. “As a golfer to get a similar filling to what the Arizona Cardinals players would get at a home game, it’s pretty unique. There’s not many people that can say they play in their hometown in front of a crowd like this, in front of amazing support like this, in front of ASU support like this and at the hole on 16 where there is almost 2,500 people are ASU graduates or went to ASU or live in Scottsdale so there’s definitely a lot of pull for players like me and other ASU graduates.”
Last year, fellow ASU alum Gary Woodland bested Chez Reavie in the first hole of playoff to win his first PGA Tour event in five years. The victory came just months after he lost a daughter to a miscarriage.
“Obviously, I had a great week here last year,” Woodland recently told ESPN. “Great emotions being back, nice to see a lot of the same people.”