Golf aficionados brace for an inconvenient drive as they tee up for the WM Phoenix Open amid the muck and traffic, thanks to a downpour that's turned parking to soup and the urban sprawl into a bumper-to-bumper crawl. Officials on Wednesday morning, scrambling faster than a golfer avoiding a sand trap, issued a parking detour, advising those with parking passes to head to Westworld Sports Complex instead of the sodden grass lots, and shuffle onto a free shuttle to make their way to the tourney, as reported by azfamily.com.
General admission ticket holders should make their way to Salt River Fields parking where, yep, you guessed it, another free shuttle awaits. The tournament itself plays through, unaffected by the weather, as those without prepurchased tickets for the sold-out weekend slots watch from their couches, or perhaps at the bar with a less obstructed view and certainly drier seats.
Those opting for modern transit, like rideshares better pin Lot R on Bell Rd Sports Complex in their apps, because that's the rendezvous point. The event's intricacies got some spotlight from 12News which detailed clear bag policies, traffic jams, and the celebrity swings of Larry Fitzgerald, Nick Saban, and Emmitt Smith at the Pro-Am, and if the couch does beckon, 12News assures that their app will serve all the live action.
So, pack the raincoat, ditch the umbrella sleeve, and maybe catch an early shuttle to beat the traffic forgetting that the early bird gets the worm, but the early fan gets the unobstructed view of the fairway. And remember, while the event promises signature Arizona vistas and the occasional "moment of Zen," as teased by 12News, it's probably best enjoyed without the mud-stained shoes and waterlogged argyle socks.
