Celebrating its 83rd year, the 2018 Waste Management Phoenix Open Presented by The Ak-Chin Indian Community will tee it up at TPC Scottsdale, January 29 – February 4, and will feature a star-studded field comprised of past champions, young guns, perennial contenders, and Major Championship winners. In addition to the PGA TOUR’s best, celebrities, community leaders, and rock stars also will join in the fun making the 2018 tournament the Valley’s must-attend sporting event of the season. 

Attendance continues to rise as the last three years broke record attendance numbers. Last year’s contest lined the fairways and filled the stands with more than 650,000 passionate fans who were on hand to witness the second-straight four-hole playoff between defending champion Hideki Matsuyama and Webb Simpson. Matsuyama will be back to try for the three-peat this year and join the late Arnold Palmer as the only player to win three straight tournaments. 

The 2017 tournament also was the most successful to date in terms of charitable donations, as the host Thunderbirds raised more than $10.1 million, distributed to more than 150 Arizona non-profits through the proceeds from the 2017 event. This marks the largest single amount raised by The Thunderbirds in the 82-year history of the tournament, breaking last year’s record of more than $9 million. To add to the crowning accomplishment, the civic organization has now raised more than $122 million for Arizona charities since the first tournament in 1932, with more than $55 million raised since 2010 when Waste Management became the title sponsor. 

So what’s new at the 2018 Waste Management Phoenix Open? Each year, The Thunderbirds strive to improve the tournament in new and exciting ways. This year, The Bay Club – an upscale, luxury venue complete with formal wait staffs and premium food and beverage options – increases in size for the second-straight year. El Rancho on 12, the popular Mexican food and tequila venue, got a makeover that includes extra space and a flattened area for more seating. Also new in 2018 is the Craft Beer Haus @ 7 serving up some of the best local and national craft brews. And on the South side of 17 is The Cove, where corporate guests can play games like bags and table tennis, while general admission ticket holders can enjoy more than 650 first-come-first-serve seats.

The party doesn’t end with the conclusion of each round, as the Coors Light Birds Nest brings the party across the street to a four-night music concert series. Open Wednesday (1/31) through Saturday (2/3) from 3:30-10 pm, the 2018 Coors Light Birds Nest will feature some of the nation’s hottest artists. Things kick off on Wednesday with Hip-hop star and producer, Flo Rida, while country duo Florida Georgia Line with special guest, Chase Rice, keep things moving on Thursday and OneRepublic and EDM star, Zedd, round out the festivities on Friday and Saturday respectively. 

While the actual Waste Management Phoenix Open golf tournament will be played Thursday-Sunday (February 1-4), there will still be plenty of things to see and do at TPC Scottsdale all week long. 

Many of the PGA TOUR pros will play morning practice rounds on Monday and Tuesday of tournament week. And thanks to Ford – the official vehicle sponsor of the WM Phoenix Open – all guests receive free admission to the festivities on Monday, January 29, and Tuesday, January 30 as part of Ford Free Days courtesy of Arizona Ford Dealers. 

Other notable events during tournament week include the R.S. Hoyt Jr. Family Foundation Dream Day and San Tan Ford Special Olympics Open on Tuesday; and the extremely popular Annexus Pro-Am and Phoenix Suns Charities Shot at Glory on Wednesday. 

On Saturday, February 3, Waste Management and The Thunderbirds invite everyone to participate in the seventh-annual GREEN OUT, where players and fans are encouraged to wear green to showcase their support for the environment, the community and all that Waste Management is doing to solidify the tournament’s status as not only the greenest event on the PGA TOUR, but also the most charitable. For every person who wears green on Saturday, The Thunderbirds will donate “green” to three local charities. 

The Waste Management Phoenix Open is not only the most-attended tournament on the PGA TOUR, it is also the largest zero-waste event in the world. That means ZERO tournament waste has entered landfills in the last five years. Instead, 100 percent was recycled, composted or sent to waste-to-energy facilities. 

There is a lot of excitement in Scottsdale during the early months of 2018, but none more impactful or fun than “The People’s Open.” For more information visit www.WMPhoenixOpen.com.