The Waste Management Phoenix Open was nominated for the ‘2014 Sports Event of the Year’ award by the Sports Business Journal and Sports Business Daily at the seventh annual Sports Business Awards in New York City. The Sports Event of the Year award was won by the 2014 Bridgestone Winter Classic and was one of 15 awards handed out at the prestigious event held at the New York Marriott Marquis at Times Square.

The Waste Management Phoenix Open was the only golf event, PGA TOUR or otherwise, nominated in the Sports Event of the Year category which recognized outstanding achievements in sports business from March 1, 2013 to February 28, 2014. Other sporting events nominated for the 2014 Sports Event of the Year were the 2013 Breeders’ Cup World Championships, the aforementioned 2014 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic, The ONE: Mayweather vs. Canelo, presented by Showtime Networks in partnership with Golden Boy Promotions and Mayweather Promotions, and Super Bowl XLVIII.

“We’re honored to have been nominated for this outstanding award,” said 2014 Waste Management Phoenix Open Tournament Chairman Tom King. “And while we didn’t win the award, the nomination and national exposure for our event is incredible. Thank you to the fans, Waste Management and all of our sponsors, PGA TOUR players and my fellow Thunderbirds for truly making this incredible community event THE Greatest Show on Grass.”

The 2014 Waste Management Phoenix Open was a record setting event on many fronts, including:

•  Title sponsor Waste Management successfully diverted all tournament waste from landfills. This ambitious goal and challenge took months of planning and a zero-waste playbook that put everyone from vendors to volunteers on the same page. In the end, the “Zero Waste Challenge” was attained, with 100% of waste sent to recycling, composting and waste-to-energy facilities.

·  The Waste Management Phoenix Open and host Thunderbirds have raised more than $86 million for local charities in the tournament’s 79 year history, with more than $60 million generated since 2004. ·  Attendance of 563,008 for the week (a new overall tournament and PGA TOUR attendance record), TPC Scottsdale was Arizona’s 2nd most populated “city” and more than 40,000 people larger than the City of Tucson – 520,116. The previous record of 538,356 was set in 2008.

·  Third round attendance of 189,722 set an all-time single-day record in Waste Management Phoenix Open and professional golf history.

A panel of judges, including sports industry experts and representatives of Sports Business Journal/Daily, evaluated the nominees and determined the category winners by private vote. The list of judges for each category was announced in the May 26 Sports Business Awards issue of Sports Business Journal.

The 2015 Waste Management Phoenix Open will be held at the TPC Scottsdale from January 26 to February 1, 2015. The Waste Management Phoenix Open is the best-attended golf tournament in the world and has gained legendary status for being the most unique stop on the PGA TOUR. The 2015 edition will mark the 80th playing of the event (one of the five oldest events on the PGA TOUR) and the sixth as the Waste Management Phoenix Open. For more information on the 2015 Waste Management Phoenix Open, visit www.wmphoenixopen.com.