Waste Management Phoenix Open

The Thunderbirds – named because the emblem of the Phoenix Chamber of Commerce is a Thunderbird derived from American Indian symbols – was founded in 1937. That year, the then-committee had just five members.

The Waste Management Phoenix Open Presented by The Ak-Chin Indian Community pumped $389 million into Arizona’s economy, according to an economic impact study released by the Arizona State University W.P. Carey School of Business. This figure was calculated using the IMPLAN economic assessment software.

When the Waste Management Phoenix Open Presented by The Ak-Chin Indian Community begins, it will do so as the largest zero-waste event in the world. Since 2013, all tournament waste – nearly 5 million pounds – has either been recycled, composted, reused, donated or used to create energy.

Last month, the PGA TOUR named the 2018 Waste Management Phoenix Open Presented by The Ak-Chin Indian Community, which was won by Gary Woodland in a playoff, as its “Tournament of the Year.”

The Waste Management Phoenix Open Annexus Pro-Am will tee off on Jan. 31 at 8:30 a.m. on the TPC Scottsdale’s Stadium Course and feature celebrities, golfers and athletes including Emmitt Smith, Michael Phelps, Patrick Peterson, Justin Verlander, Greg Maddux, Jake Owen and Golden Tate.

This year, the Coors Light Birds Nest will boast 12 musical acts spanning multiple genres from country to hip-hop, pop and EDM during its four-night music festival, which runs Wednesday through Saturday during tournament week.

Many of the PGA TOUR’s biggest stars are set to take the field at the 2019 Waste Management Phoenix Open Presented by The Ak-Chin Indian Community, including fan favorite Phil Mickelson.

For the fourth year, your Arizona Ford Dealers are bringing the “The People’s Open” to the people via “Ford Free Days.” Through the program, all fans will be admitted free of charge to the Waste Management Phoenix Open both Monday and Tuesday of the 2019 tournament.

The Waste Management Phoenix Open Presented by The Ak-Chin Indian Community gates open at 7 a.m. For hundreds of (oft-costumed) fans, that isn’t early enough. This group, nicknamed “The Breakfast Club,” lines up at the entrance as early as 4:30 a.m. daily.

In 2018, for the first time ever, The Thunderbirds and the award-winning Waste Management Phoenix Open Presented by The Ak-Chin Indian Community eclipsed $12 million in fundraising through the tournament, raising more than $12.2 million for Arizona charities. It also marked the fourth consecutive year that record dollars were raised.