Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian of all time, and GRAMMY Award-winning country music star Darius Rucker are the latest to join the list of celebrities from the world of sports and entertainment who will be participating in the Annexus Pro-Am during the 2021 Waste Management Phoenix Open on Wednesday, Feb. 3, at TPC Scottsdale.

Along with Phelps and Rucker, other celebs already committed and scheduled to appear include Larry Fitzgerald, Rob Riggle, Gerina Piller and Alexandra O’Laughlin.

Phelps is considered the greatest Olympic athlete of all-time thanks to his record 28 overall medals, including a record 23 gold medals. His most recent competitive appearance was at the Rio Summer Games in 2016 where he added six more medals, including five gold medals, to his record medal count. The Scottsdale resident will be making his sixth appearance in the Annexus Pro-Am (2013, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020).

Three-time GRAMMY Award winner Rucker first achieved multi-Platinum status in the music industry as lead singer and rhythm guitarist of Hootie & the Blowfish, who sold more than 25 million albums worldwide including their Diamond-certified debut Cracked Rear View, which remains among the Top 10 best-selling albums of all time. Since releasing his first Country album in 2008, Rucker has earned a whole new legion of fans with four No. 1 albums on the Billboard Country chart, plus nine No. 1 singles at Country radio. He recently co-hosted the 54th annual CMA Awards and his current single, “Beers And Sunshine,” is Top 10 and climbing at Country radio.

Tee times for the Annexus Pro-Am will range from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.  Exact tee times for participants will be announced on Tuesday, Feb. 2 on WMPhoenixOpen.com and the PGA TOUR app, along with a complete list of celebrities and PGA TOUR players in the field.  Limited general admission tickets for Wednesday are still available and can be purchased at WMPhoenixOpen.com.

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.