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