The Waste Management Phoenix Open might have the most “extreme sports” kind of feel out of all of the PGA Tour tournaments. 201,003 fans came to watch the action on Saturday, beating the previous record of 189,722 last year.

201,003 fans. That’s almost 2.5 completely sold out MetLife Stadiums. On average, MetLife Stadium hosts 82,500 fans a game. Now that, is AWESOME. This only helps support that golf is on the rise for sports fans. with a big thanks to many of the younger players (who are now in the top 4) who are truly helping the game, by connecting with fans and encouraging young children to learn about golf.

PGA Tour players get more and more creative when it comes to interacting with the fans, which can help as far as experiences when on site at a tournament.

For the second consecutive season, Ryan Palmer set out to make a number of fans a little more buzzed than they already were, by throwing autographed golf balls with some money attached to it with the message: “have a beer on me!” sharpied on the golf ball.

Autograph fan hopefuls always try to hang out by the range, the clubhouse or the locker rooms where the players walk to once done with their rounds. The Phoenix Open posted on their site a few tips for the best times and hot spots to catch the players: “A good place to catch them is at the practice area, as most players will return there after they play their round.”

The Phoenix Open is just the beginning for the Tour. Coming up is the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, the Arnold Palmer Invitational, The Masters Tournament, The PLAYERS Championship and many more tournaments that each have a different yet consistent feel for golf fans.

It’s going to be a fun season ahead, and we look forward to covering some behind the scenes stories that might not necessarily make the front page, but are equally as interesting and important.