Waste Management Phoenix Open to reduce fans to under 5,000 per day

Organizers of the Waste Management Phoenix Open announced Jan. 13 that the number of attendees to the annual PGA Tour event would be limited to under 5,000 per day due to COVID-19 concerns. This year’s event takes place Feb. 4-7 in Scottsdale, Arizona.

This limited attendance marks a significant reduction from the event's usual numbers.

Since 2013, Houston-based Waste Management and the Phoenix Chamber of Commerce special events committee known as the Thunderbirds have teamed up to put on what the group calls “the largest zero-waste sporting event in the world, with over 700,000 fans over the course of tournament week.”

According to the event’s website, “Waste Management leads operational efforts to divert 100 percent of [Phoenix Open] waste from the landfill through recycling, composting, donation and energy conversion.”

In a statement, 2021 Waste Management Phoenix Open Tournament Chairman Scott Jenkins shared the following update:

“The Thunderbirds continue to work closely with the PGA Tour, local government and health officials in preparation to have limited fans at the 2021 Waste Management Phoenix Open. Since returning to competition in June of 2020, the PGA Tour has a successful track record of health and safety in the communities in which they play, including several events with ticketed spectators. We remain hopeful we can host an extremely limited number of socially distanced fans at ‘The People’s Open,’ and in light of the current COVID climate, we have decided to further reduce our attendance to fewer than 5,000 fans each day, Wednesday through Sunday.

“The tournament will implement strict COVID safety protocols including, but certainly not limited to, the mandatory wearing of masks throughout the entire tournament grounds and thermal screening of every guest upon entry. The expansive, 192-acre, open-aired layout of TPC Scottsdale is conducive to social distancing, and combined with stringent COVID safety protocols in place, The Thunderbirds are confident we can conduct a safe and responsible tournament in February.”

Click here to learn more about Waste Management's sustainability initiatives at the Phoenix Open.