The tournament’s most recognizable attribute, however, is Hole # 16. Affectionately called The Coliseum, it annually attracts 20,000 spectators each day of competition making it one of the most unique experiences on the PGA TOUR for both players and fans. Players regularly talk about how they have fun interacting with the crowd, but also how they have to begin mentally preparing for that tee shot as they make the turn for the Back Nine.

With all that said, it’s not surprising the 16th hole at the TPC Scottsdale, reverberating from an enthusiastic group of fans, is recognized as No. 5 on the Top 10 Notable Landmarks on the PGA TOUR according to PGATOUR.com. The Waste Management Phoenix Open is proud to be included in such a notable group – no pun intended.

Click on the video below to see who else made the the PGA TOUR’s Top 10.
 
 

The initiative, aimed at educating vendors and patrons about the proper disposal of materials, employed the use of recycling and composting methods for all waste produced at the event. This was the first time in PGA TOUR history no trash cans were present on course. Additionally, Waste Management believes it will ultimately be able to recover even more than 70 percent of the total waste, either as recyclable paper, cardboard, plastics, aluminum or as compost material.

“The Zero Waste Challenge presented a lofty goal for Waste Management at this year’s tournament, 90 percent diversion and 70 percent recovery is quite the feat,” said Waste Management chief sales and marketing officer, David Aardsma. “Through careful partnership and education of vendors, Thunderbirds and the community, we achieved our goal of making the WMPO the greatest and greenest show on grass.”

As part of the Zero Waste campaign, Waste Management in conjunction with the Thunderbirds worked with all tournament vendors to ensure only recyclable and compostable materials were used throughout the week.

“The Thunderbirds were pleased to partner with Waste Management on this ambitious new program and it’s incredible what was accomplished in just the first year. This was a huge undertaking and we can all be proud of the results,” said Alex Clark, chairman of the recently completed tournament.

In addition to the Zero Waste campaign, Waste Management used many green initiatives at the 2012 Phoenix Open:

• Recycling stations in high-traffic areas, staffed with 500 plus “recycling ambassadors” who answered any questions about using the recycling and composting bins.
• Waste Management worked closely with WMPO vendors to monitor their use of water throughout the week in order to increase overall conservation.
• Use of greywater, or wastewater generated from the concessionaire’s kitchens, were recycled for use in portable toilets.
• Twelve Greenopolis kiosks, or reverse vending machines, offered various incentives or retailer discount coupons to patrons who used them throughout the week.
• Sixty WM solar-powered compactors along the course allowed patrons to dispose of their food waste more efficiently.
• Four compressed natural gas (CNG) trucks were used to transport the waste and recycled materials collected during the tournament. The fuel in these trucks burns cleaner than a standard diesel truck and therefore will reduce fleet emissions associated with transportation.
• Waste Management’s hospitality tent was powered by electricity generated from a portable solar power unit.

Final results will be available in late March 2012 following the complete tear down and removal of all materials from the TPC Scottsdale.

ABOUT WASTE MANAGEMENT

Waste Management, Inc., based in Houston, Texas, is the leading provider of comprehensive waste management services in North America. Through its subsidiaries, the company provides collection, transfer, recycling and resource recovery, and disposal services. It is also a leading developer, operator and owner of waste-to-energy and landfill gas-to-energy facilities in the United States. The company’s customers include residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers throughout North America. To learn more information about Waste Management visit wm.com or thinkgreen.com.

Wearing the Green

The Waste Management Phoenix Open’s GREEN OUT on Saturday, February 4th raised $50,000 for Keep Phoenix Beautiful. According to the Waste Management Phoenix Open’s ‘Green Squad’ nearly 1/3 of Saturday’s record crowd of 173,210 fans and nearly all PGA TOUR pros donned green gear.

“We’d like to thank all the fans, players, caddies and sponsors who wore green on Saturday,” said 2012 Waste Management Phoenix Open Tournament Chairman Alex Clark. “Combined with last year’s $35,000 to Arizona Clean & Beautiful, we’ve contributed $85,000 to two deserving organizations.”

For every person who wore GREEN on Saturday, February 4th, the tournament host Thunderbirds will be donating ‘green’ to Keep Phoenix Beautiful – a non-profit, volunteer organization dedicated to preserving, maintaining and enhancing the beauty and environmental quality of Phoenix. The Thunderbirds began the Green Out in 2011 as a way for fans to honor and support the sustainability/green efforts of the tournament and title sponsor Waste Management.

Kyle Stanley at WM Phoenix Open

— 2012 Waste Management Phoenix Open

EXEMPT STATUS

— Extends fully-exempt status through the 2014 season.
 
WASTE MANAGEMENT PHOENIX OPEN NOTES

Stanley becomes the first player to make the Waste Management Phoenix Open his first TOUR win since J.B. Holmes in 2006 and the 10th in tournament history. Also, he wins in his first start at the event, the first to do so since J.B. Holmes, also in 2006.

Scoring breakdown during the week:

• par-3s (1-over)
• par-4s (5-under)
• par-5s (11-under)

He entered the finals today eight strokes behind Spencer Levin, marking the largest come-from-behind history in Waste Management Phoenix Open tournament history.
 
2012 Waste Management Phoenix Open Statistics

• Driving Accuracy 34/56 T24
• Greens in Regulation 57/72 3
• Driving Distance 287.6 70
• Total Putts 121 T63
• Strokes Gained – Putting 4.577 11

 
2012 NOTES

First player in his 20s to win this season.
 
CAREER NOTES

Becomes the first player since David Toms (2011 PLAYERS Championship/Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial) to lose in a playoff and then win the following week.

Entered the day eight strokes behind Spencer Levin, equaling the third-largest come-from-behind win in PGA TOUR history (Paul Lawrie holds the distinction of making up the biggest deficit of 10 strokes at the 1999 British Open).

Tops career-best finish – runner-up finishes at the 2012 Farmers Insurance Open and 2011 John Deere Classic.

Posts sixth Top-10 and 13th Top-25 finish of his career.

The win is the 325th by a former Nationwide Tour member and the fifth of the season in as many starts (Stricker, Wagner, Wilson, Snedeker, Stanley).
 
2012 PGA TOUR SUMMARY

• Tournaments Entered — 4
• In Money — 3
• Top-25s — 3
• Top-10s — 2
• Victories — 1

FINAL LEADERBOARD

Kyle Stanley 69-66-69-65—269 (-15)
Ben Crane 69-67-68-66—270 (-14)
Spencer Levin 65-63-68-75—271 (-13)
D.J. Trahan 72-70-64-66—272 (-12)

Kyle Stanley — 2012 WM Phoenix Open Champion

KYLE STANLEY

Stanley held a five-stroke lead over John Rollins and John Huh after 54 holes at last week’s Farmers Insurance Open but shot a 74 and wound up losing in a playoff to Brandt Snedeker on the second extra hole. Snedeker began the final round at Torrey Pines seven strokes back of Stanley and was in the third-to-last group (threesomes) of the day. Stanley began today’s round eight shots back of leader Spencer Levin and was, ironically, also in the third-to-last group (threesomes) of the day.

Stanley becomes the first player since David Toms to lose a playoff one week and then win the following week on TOUR. Toms lost a playoff to K.J. Choi at THE PLAYERS Championship last May and rebounded the following week win a one-stroke victory over Charlie Wi at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial.

A comparison of Kyle Stanley’s final round the past two weeks:

— Farmers Insurance Open 2-over 74 5/14 fairways 10/18 greens 27 putts
— Waste Management Phoenix Open 6-under 65 6/14 fairways 16/18 greens 30 putts

Stanley hit only one of seven fairways on the back nine today but managed to hit eight of nine greens. He played the final nine holes in 3-under 33.

Stanley started the final round 8 strokes back of the leader, Spencer Levin. His comeback matches the third-largest in Tour history:

10 strokes Paul Lawrie 1999 British Open
9 strokes Stewart Cink 2004 MCI Heritage
8 strokes Jack Burke, Jr. 1956 Masters Tournament
8 strokes Ken Venturi 1959 Los Angeles Open
8 strokes Mark Lye 1983 Bank of Boston Classic
8 strokes Hal Sutton 1985 St. Jude Memphis Classic
8 strokes Chip Beck 1990 Buick Open
8 strokes Scott Simpson 1998 Buick Invitational
8 strokes Craig Stadler 2003 B.C. Open
8 strokes Kyle Stanley 2012 Waste Management Phoenix Open

Stanley’s comeback is the largest in tournament history:

8 strokes Kyle Stanley 2012 Waste Management Phoenix Open
7 strokes Sandy Lyle 1988 Phoenix Open

Stanley also becomes the first player to win this tournament in his first start at TPC Scottsdale since J.B. Holmes in 2006.

Stanley becomes the 10th player who to earn their first career title in this event:

1954 Ed Furgol
1965 Rod Funseth
1966 Dudley Wysong
1976 Bob Gilder
1980 Jeff Mitchell
1987 Paul Azinger
1990 Tommy Armour III
1998 Jesper Parnevik
2006 J.B. Holmes
2012 Kyle Stanley

Lowest final-round scores by a tournament winner at the Waste Management Phoenix Open:

63 Mark Calcavecchia 1992
63 Vijay Singh 2003
64 Aaron Baddeley 2007
65 Hunter Mahan 2010
65 Kyle Stanley 2012

Kyle Stanley’s 65 today is his lowest final-round score on Tour. Stanley has made 31 cuts in 44 total starts (including this week) and his previous best was 66 at the 2009 Travelers Championship (-4) and the 2011 John Deere Classic (-5).

SPENCER LEVIN

Levin fired a 4-over 75 to wind up solo third. Levin started the day with an six-stroke lead over his nearest challenger, Webb Simpson. This matches the largest lead lost on TOUR with 18 holes to play:

6 Bobby Cruickshank, 1928 Florida Open
Gay Brewer, 1969 Danny Thomas-Diplomat Classic
Hal Sutton, 1983 Anheuser-Busch Golf Classic
Greg Norman, 1996 Masters Tournament
Sergio Garcia, 2005 Wachovia Championship
Spencer Levin, 2012 Waste Management Phoenix Open
Levin hit 7 of 14 fairways, 10 of 18 greens and had 32 putts on his round.

BEN CRANE

This was Crane’s seventh start at TPC Scottsdale and his second top-10 finish. He tied for fourth in 2008. Crane now has three top-10 finishes in four starts this year. He started the year with a T9 at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions and followed up with a T8 at the Humana Challenge. He missed the cut at last week’s Farmers Insurance Open.

BRENDAN STEELE

Steele matched his career-best score with a 7-under 64 today. The only other time he has carded a 64 (6-under) came in the second round of the 2011 Travelers Championship.

Steele seems to produce his best results on TPC courses. His bogey-free 64 today moved him up to a T5 finish, his fourth career top-10 in 31 starts. During his rookie season last year, he had three of his best finishes on TPC courses:

1st 2011 Valero Texas Open TPC San Antonio
T10 2011 Deutsche Bank Championship TPC Boston
T13 2011 Travelers Championship TPC River Highlands
T5 2012 Waste Management Phoenix Open TPC Scottsdale

KEVIN NA

Na continued his impressive play at TPC Scottsdale with a 6-under 65 in the final round to move up to a T5 finish. This is the seventh start in this event for Na and his fourth top-10:

2005 T2
2008 T4
2009 3rd
2012 T5

GARY WOODLAND

Woodland had a pair of eagles today on the back nine. Woodland rolled in an eagle putt of 27 feet 6 inches on the par-5, 13th hole and then added another eagle putt of 7 feet, 1 inch at the 315-yard, par-4, 17th hole. Woodland shot a 5-under 66.

MARK WILSON

Defending champion Mark Wilson finished T19 in his attempt to become the first player to win the Waste Management Phoenix Open in back-to-back years since Johnny Miller in 1974-75.

MISCELLANEOUS NOTES

The last 12 champions of the Waste Management Phoenix Open (dating to 2001) have combined for just two bogeys on the par-3, 16th hole at TPC Scottsdale with Kyle Stanley playing the hole at even par (four pars). Phil Mickelson (1996) is the last tournament champion to play the 16th hole above par for the week (double-bogey, par, par, birdie).

There were seven past tournament champions in the field this week. Here is how they finished:

2011 Mark Wilson T19
2009 Kenny Perry T65
2008 J.B. Holmes (2006) T45
2007 Aaron Baddeley T65
2005 Phil Mickelson (1996) T26
2003 Vijay Singh (1995) W/D
2001 Mark Calcavecchia (1989, 1992) M/C

All six former Arizona State Sun Devils made the cut this week:

Pat Perez T-19
Phil Mickelson T-26
Jeff Quinney T-26
Matt Jones T-40
Chez Reavie T-45
Billy Mayfair T-55

Bogey-free rounds:

R1: Kevin Na (66), Jason Dufner (64), Bo Van Pelt (65), Chad Campbell (71 – 18 pars)
R2: Spencer Levin (63), Charles Howell III (68), Martin Flores (68)
R3: Ben Crane (68)l, Jeff Maggert (68), Sunghoon Kang (69),
R4: Kyle Stanley (65), Brendan Steele (64), George McNeill (68), Heath Slocum (68)

Scoring Averages at TPC Scottsdale:

Front 9—Back 9—Total Cumulative

Round 1 35.030—35.439—70.470
Round 2 35.230—35.984—71.214
Round 3 34.872—35.936—70.878
Round 4 34.769—35.692—70.462

Bird's Eye View — 16th Hole at TPC Scottsdale

Saturday’s 3^rd round attendance of 173,210 set an all-time single-day record in Waste Management Phoenix Open and professional golf history. The previous single-day attendance mark of 170,802 was set in 2008 also during the 3^rdround.

For the week, total attendance was 518,262 — 4th largest in tournament history.

Monday — 7,515

Tuesday — 36,003

Wednesday — 49,735

Thursday — 77,035

Friday — 116,299

Saturday — 173,210

Sunday — 58,447

“We can’t thank fans and sponsors enough for their incredible support of this tournament,” said 2012 Waste Management Phoenix Open Tournament Chairman Alex Clark. “From the time the gates opened at 7 a.m. this morning, an unprecedented flow of fans walked through the gates. Our security staff, tournament volunteers and Scottsdale Police Department all did an outstanding job of handling this enormous crowd. I’ve been saying it would be ‘72 and sunny’ for months, I’m glad my mantra came true.”

The Waste Management Phoenix Open and host Thunderbirds have raised close to $75 million for local charities in the tournament’s 77 year history, with more than $45 million generated since 2004. Title sponsor Waste Management, Inc., based in Houston, Texas, is the leading provider of comprehensive waste management services in North America. Through its subsidiaries, the company provides collection, transfer, recycling and resource recovery, and disposal services. It is also a leading developer, operator and owner of waste-to-energy and landfill gas-to-energy facilities in the United States. The company’s customers include residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers throughout North America.

For more information on Waste Management visit wm.com or thinkgreen.com.

For more information on the Waste Management Phoenix Open, visit wmphoenixopen.com