News
This year's Waste Management Phoenix Open won't set an attendance record (But not for the reason you think)
Stan Badz
The Waste Management Phoenix Open has done a fantastic job of distinguishing itself from a year-long cycle of PGA Tour events both due to luck (It's that tournament that finishes on Super Bowl Sunday) and by design (It's that tournament with the stadium hole packed with drunk fans). Put simply, it's the place to be this weekend if you live in the Scottsdale area, while also becoming a popular place to go for bachelor parties. And no other event in golf is identified through its eye-popping attendance figures.
At least, until now.
There will be no attendance records set at this week's event. Not officially, that is. No, the polar vortex isn't hitting Arizona. No, the infamous 16th hole wasn't bulldozed. And no, the place hasn't lost its fun-loving appeal (In fact, a co-worker's fiancé is there for his bachelor party). Instead, the Phoenix Thunderbirds, the organization that runs tournament, have decided not to report the number of people passing through TPC Scottsdale's gates going forward, according to azcentral.com.
"We understand that we have the biggest event on the PGA Tour," tournament chairman Chance Cozby said. "When you look out there, you know the attendance is big. But it’s just something that we don’t want to focus on going forward. We want to focus on charity. That’s what we are all about."
Cozby also noted that PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan and title sponsor Waste Management "supported" the decision "100 percent."
Last year's tournament broke the record for largest single-day crowd (216,818 during the third round) and overall attendance (719,179). The event is so linked to these incredible figures that Westgate Las Vegas Superbook offered a Super Bowl prop bet of whether Sunday's final round or the Big Game would have a higher attendance. Hopefully, if you bet on that, you can get your money back.