For more than a quarter century, Nan Curran has been a familiar and trusted presence inside the ropes at the WM Phoenix Open. Splitting her time between Wisconsin and Arizona, Nan has spent 26 years serving on the Walking Scorers committee – first keeping score alongside the pros, and now leading the team with passion, precision, and a deep sense of family. From swapping hunting stories with Steve Stricker to organizing scorers with military-like efficiency, Nan embodies the spirit and heart that make volunteering at the WM Phoenix Open truly unforgettable.

Where are you from and where do you currently live?  

I live in Wisconsin in the summer and Arizona in the winter.

How many years have you volunteered for the WM Phoenix Open?

26

All in the same role/area or have you volunteered in many different capacities?

I have been on the Walking Scorer committee since I started.  First being a Walking Scorer, walking with the professional players keeping their official score for the first 15 years.  Then I became the chairperson with a friend for the last 11 years.  I now send out the Walking Scorers every day giving them their tee times and groups for each round.

What is your current volunteer role for 2026 and what did you do at the 2025 WM Phoenix Open?

I was the chairperson by myself in 2025 for the Walking Scorers and plan to chair the Walking Scorers in 2026.

What is your favorite memory as a volunteer at the WM Phoenix Open?

As a Walking Scorer, walking with Steve Stricker back in the early 2000’s during the Pro-am event on Wednesday.  We are both from Wisconsin, he plays golf at the same country club I belong to, and we both hunt and fish.  So, we spent the time talking about hunting and fishing rather than golf as we walked the fairways. I believe he got an 8-point buck that year and I got a 9-point buck.  We both had a good laugh about that!

Why should people volunteer at the WM Phoenix Open? 

There is no other tournament like the WM Phoenix Open.  I have worked and been a spectator at other tournaments and the atmosphere and the willingness of volunteers to help each other out goes above and beyond when needed.  You become family with the people you get to know.  Even the people you don’t know are willing to help you if you need it, without question.

What makes the WM Phoenix Open different from other volunteer opportunities? 

When you come back year after year, you look forward to seeing the other volunteers, because you have spent at least a week with these people every year and they are genuine people, not out for any notoriety, fame or financial gain in the long run.

Have you met a lot of PGA TOUR pros/celebs from your time as a volunteer?

Yes, I have 15 years of golf balls in a drawer, signed by many of the pro’s after scoring for them.  However, if you asked me to tell one from another now, the signatures are not very recognizable.  As I said earlier, the Pro-Am was the best time to talk with the players.  They were very friendly and courteous because they were just out to practice and not in a “zone”.

What keeps you coming back to volunteer? 

Mostly the Walking Scorers that I have gotten to know over the last 26 years.  Some have been volunteering as a Walking Scorer before I came on board 26 years ago.  It is a small group, with about 70 scorers, so everyone gets to know each other over the years.  We do not have much turnover, they come back every year.  They will do anything that is asked of them.  I have had people that have had to retire, a few that have passed away and truthfully, it is like losing a family member when a volunteer leaves for whatever reason.

Also, I look forward to seeing other committee chairs that I have gotten to know over the years and other volunteers that are always around to help out, no matter what.

What is the best part about volunteering at the WM Phoenix Open?

Knowing that volunteering helps donate money to needed charities every year.

Wildest moment as a volunteer at the tournament?

Scoring a Pro-am with Rich Beem as the Pro.  We started on hole 10, when we got to par-3 12^th hole, one of the amateurs in the group did not have a very good putt.  So, the amateur said to Rich Behm – ‘here, why don’t you throw my putter in the pond, its not doing me any good’. So, Rich did!  The amateur then had to play 15 holes without a putter as his was in the middle of the pond at 12.

Has volunteering led to any lifelong friendships? Is volunteering a great way to meet a lot of like-minded people with an interest in golf?

I have many lifelong friendships with volunteers I have met.  I have gone to other tournaments where my WM scorers are working and have met my PGA TOUR producers at other tournaments as well.  A couple that scores at the WM Phoenix Open are coming to Wisconsin to see me this summer.  I am going to a PGA TOUR tournament this summer where WM scorers are working.  I plan a trip to Arizona and go to dinner with other chairs from the tournament and play golf as well during the off season.

Anything else?

I hope to have a gathering for all the Walking Scorers and any volunteer chairs that I have met over the years before I retire from the WM Phoenix Open.  I am not sure when retirement will be, but I love seeing everyone and doing my job.  Like I said, everyone I have met over the years at the WM Phoenix Open are like family!