Editing Phoenix Open (section)

==Popularity==
The five-day attendance of the tournament is usually around a half million, the best-attended event in golf. In 2016, it set a PGA Tour and Phoenix Open single-day attendance record with 201,003 fans on Saturday, February 6, and a tournament week attendance record of 618,365 fans.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/golf/phoenix-open/2015/01/21/waste-management-phoenix-open-attendance-records/22116155/|title=Waste Management Phoenix Open attendance records |publisher=AZ Central |date=February 7, 2016}}</ref>

The most popular location for spectators is the par-3 16th hole, nicknamed "The Coliseum." {{nowrap|({{coord|33.64|-111.91}})}} One of the shortest holes on tour at {{convert|162|yd}}, it is enclosed by a temporary 20,000-seat grandstand. The hole could be described as "one big party," with many students from the nearby [[Arizona State University]] in [[Tempe, Arizona|Tempe]] in attendance. Poor shots at the 16th hole receive boos because the hole is straightforward by the PGA's standards. Good shots, however, are cheered loudly. Players who make [[Hole in one|holes in one]] at the 16th will cause the gallery to erupt, leading to beverages and other objects being tossed in celebrations;  [[Tiger Woods]] (1997),<ref name=wrecace>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=YwNZAAAAIBAJ&sjid=C0sDAAAAIBAJ&pg=7258%2C4406344 |work=Victoria Advocate |location=(Texas) |title=Jones maintains Phoenix lead; Woods records ace on No. 16 |date=January 26, 1997 |page=6B}}</ref> [[Jarrod Lyle]] (2011), and [[Sam Ryder (golfer)|Sam Ryder]] (2022) have each aced the hole on Saturday, creating raucous celebrations at the hole.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://golfweek.usatoday.com/2022/02/12/sam-ryder-ace-16-wm-phoenix-open/ |title=Watch: Sam Ryder makes an ace on 16 at WM Phoenix Open, coliseum nearly explodes and beer cans come raining down |magazine=Golfweek |date=February 12, 2022}}</ref>   The anger of a poor shot can lead to tempers flaring, as [[Justin Leonard]] gave obscene gestures to the gallery after a poor shot one year.  After 2013, the PGA Tour banned the practice of caddies racing the {{convert|150|yd}} from the tee box to the green, citing injury concerns.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.golfchannel.com/news/golftalkcentral/tour-bans-caddie-races-tpc-scottsdale-colonial/ |title=PGA Tour Bans Popular Caddie Races at TPC Scottsdale, Colonial {{!}} Golf Channel |website=www.golfchannel.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140228223146/http://www.golfchannel.com/news/golftalkcentral/tour-bans-caddie-races-tpc-scottsdale-colonial/ |archive-date=2014-02-28}} </ref>

Former [[Arizona State Sun Devils#Golf|Arizona State]] players are very popular at the Phoenix Open, with many often wearing a [[Pat Tillman]] jersey when entering the 16th-hole stadium. [[Phil Mickelson]] and [[Jon Rahm]] are popular there for that reason. In addition to golf, there is a concert/party held in the Scottsdale area called the Birds Nest, at which music artists like [[Huey Lewis and the News]] play.

The Thunderbirds are still highly active in organizing the tournament. The Thunderbirds use portions of the proceeds to fund [[Special Olympics]] activities in Phoenix.