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WM Phoenix Open

Thunderbirds Charities awards Zion Institute $80,000 to expand its Early Childhood Education Excellence

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Thunderbirds Charities recently presented Zion Institute a check in the amount of $80,000, towards the expansion of their PS-EXCELLENCE (Preschool excellence) program.

Zion Institute provides resources to residents and businesses in South Phoenix to stimulate economic growth, revitalize neighborhoods and strengthen community bonds. Shawn Pearson is the Founder and CEO of Zion Institute and is passionate about the mission.

“I was given access to knowledge, experiences, relationships, and opportunities beyond what my personal circumstances could afford,” said Pearson. “That access changed the trajectory of my life and is the genesis for everything we do in Zion.”

 

In the past decade, Zion has assisted with the launch and enrichment of 41 resident owned businesses. Zion’s early education model, combined with Open Table’s Convening model, created a platform to serve 300 children and families through Zion Early Learning Academy. This donation of $80,000 will allow them to replicate their work and help countless more families.

“Quality, accessible early childhood education is an essential facet of an equitable and prosperous community,” said Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego. “This model, combining the Zion Institute’s expertise with cross-sector community support, will not only benefit South Phoenix families for generations to come but will bring cascading benefits for our entire city.”

The Phoenix Police Department and Open Table have a long history of partnering with Zion to serve the residents of south Phoenix. The focus and intentionality of this project has allowed the 3 agencies to once again work together to fulfill that mission.

Speakers included: 

Tim Woods, President Thunderbirds Charities

Shawn Pearson, Founder & CEO of Zion Institute

Michael Kurtenbach, Phoenix Police Executive Assistant Chief

Ms. Kaylene Sarazin, a mother and community member

Former WM Phoenix Open Champs Brooks Koepka, Rickie Fowler Commit to Play in “The People’s Open”, World No. 40 Matt Kuchar also added to Field

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FIELD INCLUDES LAST SIX WM PHOENIX OPEN WINNERS, 14 OF TOP-50 IN OFFICIAL WORLD GOLF RANKINGS.

Tournament Chairman Scott Jenkins announced today World No. 12 Brooks Koepka and five-time PGA TOUR winner Rickie Fowler, both former Waste Management Phoenix Open champions, committed to play in the 2021 edition of “The People’s Open”, which will tee it up February 1-7 at TPC Scottsdale. Additionally, nine-time PGA TOUR winner and 40th ranked player in the world Matt Kuchar also committed to play.

With Koepka committing, who has not played in Scottsdale since 2017, all WM Phoenix Open winners from the last six years are currently in the field (Koepka 2015, Hideki Matsuyama 2016 and 2017, Gary Woodland 2018, Fowler 2019 and Webb Simpson 2020).

“We are absolutely thrilled to bring back two of our most celebrated champions,” Jenkins said. “Rickie and Brooks are incredible players and wonderful ambassadors of our event, and Kuch is one of the most consistent and successful players on the PGA TOUR. We’re excited to have them back in 2021.”

Koepka has four Major championship wins under his belt and put together arguably one of the finest 36-month stretches in golf history by winning or finishing in the Top-5 in six of 12-straight major championships between 2017 and 2019. He won six times including back-to-back U.S. Open titles (2017, 2018), back-to-back PGA Championship titles (2018, 2019), as well as a victory at the 2018 CJ Cup which propelled him into the No. 1 position in the Official World Golf Rankings. During that run he also was named the PGA of America Player of the Year (2018, 2019), the PGA TOUR Player of the Year (2018) and was the 2019 PGA TOUR leading money winner. Koepka is making his fourth start at TPC Scottsdale where he carded his first PGA TOUR victory in 2015.

No stranger to “The People’s Open”, WM Phoenix Open fan favorite Rickie Fowler will make his 13th-straight career start at TPC Scottsdale, where he has carded four Top-10 finishes that include his win in 2019 and two runner-up finishes to sit third on the WM Phoenix Open money list with $3.2 million in winnings. He has four additional PGA TOUR victories to his name including the 2015 PLAYERS Championship, he has been a teammate on four U.S. Ryder Cup teams (2010, 2014, 2016, 2018) and was named the PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year in 2010.

Kuchar has racked up nine PGA TOUR victories over his 20-year professional career including the 2012 PLAYERS Championship and the World Golf Classic-Accenture Match Play Championship in 2013. He was the leading money winner on the PGA TOUR in 2010 when he notched 11 Top-10 finishes and a victory at the Barclays on his way to a runner-up finish in the FedExCup standings. Kuchar has finished in the Top-10 at TPC Scottsdale four times in 11 starts, with Top-5 outings in 2018 and 2019.

Currently the field has 14 players ranked in the Top-50 of the Official World Golf Rankings, led by Jon Rahm who sits second in the standings. The rest of the top-ranked players include Xander Schauffele (8), Webb Simpson (8), Koepka (12), Matthew Wolff (15), Sungjae Im (18), Hideki Matsuyama (21), Louis Oosthuizen (23), Ryan Palmer (25), Jason Kokrak (27), Cameron Smith (29), Scottie Scheffler (32), Kuchar (40) and Bubba Watson (47).

The field also includes 19 of the Top-30 in the current FedExCup standings, along with nine players who finished in the Top-25 in last year’s FedExCup race.

A field of 132 players will vie for the $7.3 million purse, the $1,314,000 first-place check and 500 FedExCup points. PGA TOUR members have until 5 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 29, to commit to play in the Waste Management Phoenix Open. Eligible players are assigned one of 34 PGA TOUR priority ranking categories based on their past performance on TOUR. The field will continue to change as players with higher priority rankings commit to play in the Open.

The 2021 WM Phoenix Open will be held at TPC Scottsdale February 1-7. “The People’s Open” was named the Tournament of the Year by the PGA TOUR four times in the past six years (2014, 2015, 2018, 2019) to acknowledge the tournament’s legendary status as one the most unique events in golf. The 2021 edition will mark the 86th playing of the event (one of the five oldest events on the PGA TOUR) and the 12th as the WM Phoenix Open.

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. The Thunderbirds raised a record $14 million for charity from proceeds from the 2020 WM Phoenix Open and have eclipsed $161 million in charitable giving since its inception in 1932. For more information on The Thunderbirds, visit www.thunderbirdscharities.org.

In the Community Conversations – Fresh Start Women’s Foundation

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Throughout 2020 and now into the new year, The Thunderbirds – hosts of the Waste Management Phoenix Open – have reached out to their incredible charity partners to help spread messages of hope and help to the local communities they serve through their “In the Community Conversations”  segments.

In this latest edition, 2021 Waste Management Phoenix Open  Tournament Chairman Scott Jenkins caught up with Heidi Coupland, development manager at Fresh Start Women’s Foundation, to discuss current challenges and how the community can help.

“Our resource center helps women in the community by equipping them with career and educational skills and tools so they may move forward in their lives,” said Coupland. “Our Family Law Center – funded by Thunderbirds Charities – helps women remove any barriers, whether it be personal or legal barriers, in their lives.”

Nearly every business and charity in the country has been impacted by the health crisis. Fresh Start is no different.

“The first thing we did was reach out to our most at-risk clients, providing them with safe places to go, safe phone numbers to call,” said Coupland. “We found resources for them. Unfortunately, as quick as we were able to move, the demand for our services moved just as fast. We have seen a 27 percent increase in new clients in just the past eight months. We’re helping more women than ever just because the need is larger now more than ever before. We’re just doing it remotely.”

Interested in helping Fresh Start? Here’s what they need the most.

“We definitely rely on the generosity of our community to help us continue to provide these services for women,” said Coupland. “Honestly, the best way to help us right now is through actual monetary donations. Fresh Start qualifies as a charitable organization for the Arizona state tax credit program, which means anyone who files taxes as a couple can donate up to $800.”

To learn more about Fresh Start Women’s Foundation, visit their website HERE.

To donate, CLICK HERE.

Chez Reavie Sits Down with 2021 WM Phoenix Open Tournament Chairman Scott Jenkins

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_video link=”https://youtu.be/Aqx-UfpCLIs”][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1609425719718{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]ASU Sun Devil legend and local fan favorite Chez Reavie recently sat down with 2021 Waste Management Phoenix Open tournament chairman and proud Arizona Wildcat alum Scott Jenkins to talk about the strange 2020 golf season, the state of his golf game. playing without fans for the majority of 2020, and his record number of hole-in-ones. .

They also went about his experiences playing at the WM Phoenix Open, including his runner-up finish to Gary Woodland in 2018 in a playoff, playing in front of a home crowd and of course how he prepares to play the electric and iconic 16th hole.

Can’t wait to see you Chez at the 2021 WM Phoenix Open![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

The Thunderbirds Pitch in at St. Mary’s Food Bank for the Holidays

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The Thunderbirds – hosts of the Waste Management Phoenix Open – were back at St. Mary’s Food Bank before the Thanksgiving Holiday to assist with emergency food preparation. While The Thunderbirds regularly donate monetary funds to St. Mary’s Food Bank through the proceeds from “The People’s Open”, it’s also important to lend a hand in person – especially during this particularly challenging year.

To pitch in, more than 30 members of The Thunderbirds, including 2021 Tournament Chairman Scott Jenkins, helped pack more than 1,000 emergency food boxes with 16 tons of food for the local community so children and families in need can eat over the holidays.

St. Mary’s Food Bank is in dire need of volunteers this holiday season.  They have received numerous donations, but during this pandemic they are finding it more difficult to get people onsite to physically pack the boxes so they can get them to those in need.  Please visit the St. Mary’s Food Bank website or click the link below to find out more information on donating or volunteering with St. Mary’s Food Bank.

Click here to find out more! | Click here to volunteer with St. Mary’s Food Bank!

Gary Woodland Discusses Masters Prep with 2021 Tournament Chairman Scott Jenkins

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_video link=”https://youtu.be/Q4gIAYq6shM”][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1605047681234{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]With MASTERS week upon us, 2021 Waste Management Phoenix Open tournament chairman Scott Jenkins sat down with 2018 WM Phoenix Open champion and 2019 U.S. Open champion Gary Woodland to chat about how to prepare for a tradition unlike any other.

Also on the list of discussion topics were what it’s like playing in front of no fans on the PGA TOUR, how Woodland tackled the unique offseason, who he plays with during his practice rounds and how local knowledge of Augusta National comes in handy after driving up Magnolia Lane.

Watch the video to see the interview and stay tuned for additional interview segments coming up.

To see the full interview, click here.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]