FEBRUARY 2018 6 | Ah, the Waste Management Phoenix Open. Our community’s annual chance to show the rest of the world why they should move here, and the first leg of the Valley’s Adult Spring Break. Truly the most wonderful time of the year. As we’re going live with our February issue, some of the world’s finest golfers are teeing it up for the big bucks at TPC Scottsdale, and tens of thousands of people and their coworkers are watching from the sidelines with a cold one in hand. The Thunderbirds, the 81-year-old charitable organization that runs the tournament, likes to call it “The People’s Open.” But they don’t just call it that because a lot of people attend, or because it lacks the usual haughtiness one associates with golf. They call it that because the impact the tournament has on the people of the Valley is significant. First, about the tournament itself this year: There’s going to be a bunch of new stuff. New bleachers on the 17 th and 18 th holes, an expanded El Rancho area on 12 with a new bar, a new craft beer area, even more new corporate areas and clubs on the 17 th and even a new, white façade on the famed 16 th hole’s stadium setup. The goal, of course — pack in as many people as possible, while generating a ton of money from ticket and sponsorship sales. “We work on the tournament the whole year,” said Carlos Sugich, 2018 Waste Management Phoenix Open Tournament Chairman for The Thunderbirds. “My work started the Monday after the end of the 2017 tournament. The group gathers more than once a month to start coming up with new initiatives and start selling sponsorships.” But the tournament itself is really the sausage- making. It’s what happens to the dollars generated that really makes an impact. This year, the amount The Thunderbirds have raised for Valley charities over the years will cross the $125 million mark. Last year’s tournament cracked the $10 million {ahead of the curve} NEXT DOORS Tom Evans | CONTRIBUTING EDITOR THE BEST REASON WHY IT’S THE PEOPLE’S OPEN

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