WM Phoenix Open

GEORGE THIMSEN NAMED ASSISTANT TOURNAMENT CHAIRMAN FOR 2023 EDITION OF “THE PEOPLE’S OPEN”

The Thunderbirds, hosts of the [geoswitch][geoswitch_case country_code=”US” state_code=”AZ”]WM Phoenix Open Presented by Taylor Morrison[/geoswitch_case][geoswitch_case]WM Phoenix Open[/geoswitch_case][/geoswitch], have named Pat Williams the Tournament Chairman for the 2023 edition of “The People’s Open”, which will be played in early February, 2023, at TPC Scottsdale.  Additionally, The Thunderbirds announced that George Thimsen has been named Assistant Tournament Chairman for the 2023 event.

Williams assumes the role of Tournament Chairman after serving last year as Assistant Tournament Chairman alongside Michael Golding.  He will guide The Thunderbirds organization in the planning and execution of all facets of the 2023 event, including sponsorship generation and renewals, security and safety, recruiting PGA TOUR players to the event, community relations, logistics, and development of on-course venues.

“It’s an honor to be named by my fellow Thunderbirds as this year’s Tournament Chairman of the WM Phoenix Open,” Williams said.  “The Thunderbird organization is very proud of the overall success of the tournament, but our main focus continues to be on the mission of charitable giving and the tremendous impact it has on the community.  I look forward to continuing the special relationship we have formed with our title sponsor, WM, and of course all of the players, fans, sponsors and volunteers who truly make this event ‘The People’s Open’.”

Williams is the Arizona Market Director for Jones Lang LaSalle, Inc., where he oversees all business lines including office, industrial and tenant representation leasing.

An Albuquerque native, Williams earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business from the University of Arizona and has been a member of The Thunderbirds since 2014.  He and his wife Lindsey have two children, Kate (age 13) and Drew (age 9), and reside in Phoenix.

As Assistant Tournament Chairman, Thimsen will work alongside Williams in all tournament related operations while preparing to assume the Tournament Chairman role for the 2024 tournament.  Thimsen is the current Chief Revenue Officer at Timeless, LLC.

A Southern California native (Rancho Palos Verdes), Thimsen earned a bachelor’s degree in Marketing and Communications at California State University, Chico, and has been a member of The Thunderbirds since 2017.  He and his wife Natalie have two children, Gia (age 9) and Jayde (age 7), and currently reside in Phoenix.

The 2023 WM Phoenix Open will take place in early February at TPC Scottsdale. “The People’s Open” has been named the Tournament of the Year by the PGA TOUR four times since 2014 to acknowledge the tournament’s legendary status as one the most unique events in golf. The 2023 edition will mark the 88th playing of the event (one of the five oldest events on the PGA TOUR) and the 14^th with WM as title sponsor.

The Thunderbirds were founded in 1937 with the mission of promoting the Valley of the Sun through sports. The Thunderbirds consist of 55 “active” members and more than 280 “life” members who have helped the tournament eclipse $165 million in charitable giving since its inception in 1932 (through the 2021 tournament).  For more information on The Thunderbirds or the 2023 WM Phoenix Open, visit thunderbirdscharities.org.

The 2022 WM Phoenix Open has come to an exciting end with thousands of golf fans once again pushing off the Super Bowl to see who would be crowned “The People’s Open Champion.” Finding the winner’s circle for the first time in his young and budding career is Scottie Scheffler – one of the PGA TOUR’s rising stars – who bested world No. 4 Patrick Cantlay in a sudden-death, three-hole playoff to secure his first PGA TOUR victory.

Scheffler followed his feverish Saturday pace (9-under 62) with a 4-under 67 to tie defending FedExCup Champion Patrick Cantlay at the end of regulation. Both players traded pars for two holes of the sudden death playoff before Scheffler made birdie to put the pressure on Cantlay who watched his matching putt roll just past the hole. With the win, Scheffler wins nearly  $1.5 million and 500 FedExCup points to move to fourth in the year-long standings.

“Definitely nice to get my first win under the belt, and I think the first one is probably always the hardest,” Scheffler said. “I definitely made it pretty difficult on myself today and going into the playoff and having to beat a player like Patrick [Cantlay] is pretty tough. Just very pleased that I was able to do it.”

On behalf of The Thunderbirds, title sponsor WM and the PGA TOUR, the WM Phoenix Open would like to extend an enormous thank you to our volunteers and, of course, the very best fans in golf. Thank you for an outstanding tournament! Stay tuned for the Sunday highlights, and we’ll see you next year at The People’s Open!

Fans who made it out to Thursday’s first round of the 2022 WM Phoenix Open were graced with perfect weather and arguably the best field in tournament history. The round was suspended due to darkness at 6:23 p.m., but as it stands right now, many of the PGA TOUR’s brightest stars – and a few familiar faces at the WM Phoenix Open – sit atop the leaderboard. K.H. Lee, who finished T2 at last year’s tournament, is in solo second place after five birdies and an eagle with one bogey blemish to finish the round 6-under par. Lee’s 2021 runner-up counterpart Xander Schauffele is three shots off the pace at 4-under, tied with World No. 1 Jon Rahm. Two-time and defending champion Brooks Koepka finished T3 at 5-under. But the surprise of the day is current leader Sahith Theegala – a 24-year-old former Pepperdine All-American and The Thunderbirds third sponsor exemption – who fired seven birdies and no bogeys to finish the day 7-under par before his round was suspended through 16 holes.

Players who did not finish will resume in position at 8 a.m. Second-round pairings will begin as scheduled at 7:15 a.m.

Pairings will be the same for Friday’s round with tee times starting at 7:15 a.m. Those who started on No. 1 tee will start on No. 10 tee and vice versa. Click the button below to see the full list of pairings.

[mk_button dimension=”flat” size=”medium” url=”https://www.pgatour.com/tournaments/wm-phoenix-open/tee-times.html” target=”_blank” align=”center” fullwidth=”true”]CLICK HERE TO SEE WM PHOENIX OPEN FRIDAY PAIRINGS[/mk_button]

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The stars aligned at the WM Phoenix Open on Wednesday when Olympians, World Series Champions and Super Bowl MVPs converged on TPC Scottsdale for the 2022 Annexus Pro-Am. Big name celebrities and athletes like Aaron Rodgers, Walker Buehler and Michael Phelps paired with PGA TOUR professionals to put on a truly remarkable show in front of thousands of excited, lively fans. The combined group of PGA TOUR pros K.H. Lee and Keith Mitchell playing with Vikings cornerback Patrick Peterson and others took top honors this year shooting a 17-under-par 54, one shot better than Hideki Matsuyama and Chris Kirk.

[mk_button dimension=”flat” size=”medium” url=”/wp-content/uploads/2022-annexus-pro-am-leaderboard.pdf” target=”_blank” align=”center” fullwidth=”true”]View the full results of the Annexus Pro-Am[/mk_button]

The stands at the iconic 16th hole were full of enthusiastic golf fans throughout the day, but they were never so loud as during the WHOOP Shot at Glory, a closest-to-the-pin contest for a chance at $1 million for charity. A rumble overhead grew closer and was ultimately met with the cheers of fans as they watched a skydiving team parachute into the coliseum. The aerial entertainment didn’t end there, as three fighter jets from Davis Monthan Air Force Base provided a flyover to the accompaniment of the Star-Spangled Banner, performed by Joseph Horowitz. A special performance of “Taps” by trumpeter Dr. Jesse McGuire honored victims of 9/11 as the American Flag was unfolded. Brad Schoenberg, Taylor Morrison President, won the Shot of Glory with a tee shot coming to rest just 11 feet, three inches from the cup. With the stellar tee shot, Schoenberg earned $40,000 to be donated to a charity of his choice. WHOOP CEO Will Ahmed came in second place at 12 feet, 0 inches, accruing $25,000 for charity, and Adam Pritchett of Pacific Office Automation came in third at 14 feet, five inches, securing $15,000 for his favorite charity.

The fun continues into the night with Diplo and Cole Swindell taking the stage to kick off the Coors Light Bird’s Nest concert series. On Thursday, Sam Hunt and Russell Dickerson will perform, with gates opening at 3 p.m. Don’t miss out on great food, drinks and music!

The first round of “The People’s Open” kicks off tomorrow, with morning groupings set to tee off at 7:15 a.m and afternoon groupings beginning at 11:40. Who will emerge to challenge Brooks Kopeka as he defends his title at the 2022 WM Phoenix Open?

[mk_button dimension=”flat” size=”medium” url=”https://www.pgatour.com/tournaments/wm-phoenix-open/tee-times.html” target=”_blank” align=”center” fullwidth=”true”]CLICK HERE TO SEE WM PHOENIX OPEN THURSDAY/FRIDAY PAIRINGS[/mk_button][/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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The ever-popular Annexus Pro-Am pairings have been announced! Plan your day accordingly to see your favorite celebrities, rock stars and professional athletes tee it up with the PGA TOUR’s best.

Legendary Arizona Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald alongside the NFL’s all-time leading rusher Emmitt Smith will kick things off at 8:30 a.m. on 1 and 10 tee respectively. The greatest Olympian of all time Michael Phelps tees off on No 1 at 9 a.m., and Aaron Rodgers, one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, tees off at 9:30 a.m.

See below for a full list of all the celebrities, athletes, business leaders and PGA TOUR pros who will tee it up at the 2022 WM Phoenix Open Annexus Pro-am.

Click the button below to see the full pairings and tee times for the 2022 Annexus Pro-Am.

[/vc_column_text][vc_btn title=”2022 ANNEXUS PRO-AM PAIRINGS” style=”classic” color=”green” align=”center” link=”url:%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fannexusproam2022pairings.pdf|||rel:nofollow”][/vc_column][/vc_row]

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_video link=”https://youtu.be/iHfjDnEmmEc”][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1644371246035{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]Tuesday was a special day at the WM Phoenix Open, especially for children of the Valley. More than 600 kids from local elementary schools were allowed to skip class and participate in the R.S. Hoyt Jr. Family Foundation Dream Day benefiting The First Tee of Phoenix.  At the TPC Scottsdale Champions Course practice range, the kids met Arizona Cardinals legend Larry Fitzgerald, interacted with local team mascots and participated in golf clinic sponsored by PING to learn the great game of golf from one of the best, Bubba Watson. After the athletes spoke, the kids were treated to a dazzling trick shot show performed by pro golfer Tania Tare. It was a beautiful Scottsdale day that these kids won’t soon forget.[/vc_column_text][mk_gallery images=”34236,34247,34249,34251,34253,34255,34257,34259,34261,34263,34265,34267,34269,34271,34273″ orderby=”rand”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1644371173606{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]

The festivities continued later in the morning when community leaders and celebrities joined PGA TOUR players and Valley team mascots in the annual San Tan Ford Special Olympics Putting Challenge. Twenty-three-time gold medalist Michael Phelps, former Diamondbacks pitcher Brandon Webb and San Tan Ford owner Tim Hovik are just a few of the participants that paired up with Special Olympics athletes to putt nine holes.

The inspiration of the morning events carried over into the afternoon when DJ Gregory received the PGA TOUR Courage Award in what was a heartfelt, emotional moment. Gregory, who was born with cerebral palsy and walks with the assistance of a cane, has walked more than 14,000 miles and 42,000 holes at PGA TOUR events, raising more than $1 million for his Walking For Kids Foundation. Gregory was given the award at a surprise ceremony at the WM Phoenix Open and is the first non-player to receive the prestigious honor. In addition to the award, the PGA TOUR, The Thunderbirds, WM and Jon Rahm donated $25,000 each to Gregory’s foundation.

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PREVIEW OF WEDNESDAY’S ANNEXUS PRO-AM

Wednesday’s action at “The People’s Open” will feature the fan favorite Annexus Pro-Am. Tee times for the event, hosted Wednesday morning, will be posted Tuesday night at www.wmphoenixopen.com. Some of the celebrities taking part in the festivities include NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers, L.A. Dodgers pitcher Walker Buhler, Detroit Lions QB Jared Goff, two-time All-American running back Reggie Bush and Transformers actor Josh Duhamel,  along with those who attended the events this morning and others.

Wednesday afternoon, don’t forget to stick around for the WHOOP Shot at Glory – a unique closest-to-the-pin contest at the iconic 16th hole – where a slew of high profile personalities will compete for a chance to win $1 million to donate to a charity of their choice.

When the daytime action at TPC Scottsdale ends, things get going across the street with Diplo and Cole Swindell kicking off the first night of the Coors Light Birds Nest concert series, a popular four-night event running Wednesday through Saturday of tournament week. Gates open at 3 P.M.

We look forward to seeing everyone tomorrow at The Greatest and Greenest Show on Grass!

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