The Greenest Show on Grass

ONE WEEKEND, A HALF MILLION PEOPLE and 100 some odd of the world’s best golfers equal the Waste Management Phoenix Open. It also equals a whole lot of trash. But it’s the perfect advertisement for tournament sponsor Waste Management. They can handle it with ease because they’re pros at the four R’s: reduce, reuse, recycle and recover.

Saturday is “Green Out!” day at the tournament. Waste Management is showcasing a number of green initiatives at TPC Scottsdale. There are recycling stations staffed by 200 recycling ambassadors. (Yes, ambassadors.) There are 60 solar-powered compactors for food waste disposal. There are recycling kiosks where fans can receive coupons from tournament sponsors. And there are food composting bins. Food waste will be sent to a “food digester,” where it will be turned into compost for local use. Finally, compressed natural gas trucks will transport waste and recycled materials from the tournament site.

The players are in the act. Several are wearing green today, such as Jonathan Byrd (shirt), Bill Haas (shirt) and Rickie Fowler, who has become the color green for the day.

The PGATour.com staff brainstormed some “green” costumes for those crazed Phoenix-area golf fans. They came up with the Jolly Green Giant, Green Hornet, The Riddler and the Green Lantern. (What, no Incredible Hulk?)

They also looked into the history books for PGA Tour players named Green. For me, three immediately came to mind: Nathan Green (current), Ken Green and Hubert Green. That’s barely a start. According to the tour staff, there have been a total of 36 players named Green. There also have been players named Greenbaum, Greenbach, Greene, Greenfield, Greenhill, Greenhaw, Greenleaf, Greenwood, Greenwell and Greenwald.

With that, I’m greened out.

−The Armchair Golfer

2011 Bob Hope Classic TV Schedule and Tournament Notes

THE 2011 BOB HOPE CLASSIC got underway on Wednesday, a five round, 90-hole event played in La Quinta, California, on four golf courses: PGA West (Palmer Course), PGA West (Nicklaus Course), La Quinta Country Club and Silver Rock Resort. With the second round in progress, Jhonattan Vegas, a former University of Texas golfer from Venezuela, leads at 14 under.

Purse: $5 million
Winner’s share: $900,000
Defending champion: Bill Haas


Inside the field
Inside the courses
Tee times
Tournament overview
Tournament news
The celebrities



2011 Bob Hope Classic Leaderboard


TV SCHEDULE

TV coverage of the 2011 Bob Hope Classic is on Golf Channel.

Thu, 1/20:
GOLF 3p - 6p ET

Fri, 1/21:
GOLF 3p - 6p ET

Sat, 1/22:
GOLF 4p - 7p ET

Sun, 1/23:
GOLF 4p - 7p ET

SIRIUS-XM broadcast times

−The Armchair Golfer