It’s 4 a.m. While the sun is barely rising along the East Coast and has yet to shine throughout the Greater Phoenix area as it does some 300 days annually, that hasn’t deterred fans from clamoring outside the gates of the Waste Management Phoenix Open in the dark in the hopes of securing a coveted first-come, first-serve spot in the bleachers surrounding the 16th green at TPC Scottsdale.
The tournament’s energetic, party-like atmosphere, headlined by No. 16 with its colosseum-like stadium seating, is what separates the WM Phoenix Open from every other event on the PGA TOUR, and potentially across sports.
As the final putt on Sunday drops just ahead of kickoff for the Super Bowl each February, the WM Phoenix Open is more than a seven-day party in Phoenix.
The event, which relocated to TPC Scottsdale’s Stadium Course in 1987, generates $453.7 million in annual economic impact into Arizona’s economy and an annual employment impact of 4,290 jobs, according to a 2022 Arizona State University study. Not only that, but the event has resulted in $208 million in charitable impact, including a record $17.5 million from this year’s tournament.
“While many people see the WM Phoenix Open with the stands full on 16, what we see is we just did a check presentation to an organization in Phoenix (in August),” said Chance Cozby, Executive Director of The Thunderbirds, the civic organization behind the WM Phoenix Open. “And we do that on a regular basis.”
Not only do local businesses benefit from the popular PGA TOUR event that attracted a tournament-record 719,179 patrons in 2018, but The Thunderbirds and WM Phoenix Open utilize tournament proceeds to support multiple junior golf events, Special Olympics Arizona, and other local events throughout the year.
“It’s really a full-circle event, which is like most events on the PGA TOUR,” Cozby said. “Golf in general and the PGA TOUR is an unbelievable charitable organization and gives us a platform to do what we do.”
A Commitment to Community
Phoenix isn’t the only community benefitting from hosting a PGA TOUR event. The Zurich Classic of New Orleans has helped its local community rebuild time and time again after Hurricane Katrina (2005), Hurricane Gustav (2008), Hurricane Isaac (2012), and Hurricane Ida (2021) ravaged the Bayou.
Since Zurich Insurance Group became title sponsor in 2005, the tournament has generated more than $645 million in economic activity for the New Orleans community, while raising more than $30 million for charitable organizations in conjunction with the Fore!Kids Foundation.
With 93 annual not-for-profit tournaments between the PGA TOUR, PGA TOUR Champions, and Korn Ferry Tour supported by 100,000 annual volunteers, the TOUR has generated $3.93 billion in charitable donations to date. According to the American Golf Industry Coalition, PGA TOUR events bring $4.3 billion in economic impact to the 35 states that host their events each year.
“We are not the circus. We don’t come to town, set up these huge, elaborate hospitality structures, take them down, leave and go onto the next city,” said Marsha Oliver, PGA TOUR Senior Vice President of Community and Public Engagement. “Our tournament teams live, work, raise their families and host world-class events within those communities. It’s where they are. Because of that, it gives us the benefit and opportunity to be part of the community.
“When we talk about pride, we’re not just prideful for one week, we’re prideful year-round because that is where we live. The only way to be able to ensure we’re making the level of impact that we seek to make is to be part of the community.”
Celebrating Local Culture
PGA TOUR events purposely are a reflection of local culture, food, music, art and community that not only showcase the best of each host locale, but provide an array of offerings to appeal to various groups of patrons. Unsurprisingly, that means the patron experience at the FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis will be different than the Travelers Championship in Cromwell, Conn.
“Our tournaments are reflections of the communities where they are,” Oliver said. “That’s very much by design and by intention.”
With the “formal” beginning of the modern-day PGA TOUR dating back to 1968, the TOUR is a well-oiled machine as it comes to hosting events throughout North America. Any potential community concerns or negative feedback from an event have pretty much been ironed out.
LIV Golf Approach
On the other hand, upstart LIV Golf, which launched in 2022, is laying its foundation for positive impact and sustainability from Miami to Adelaide.
Collaborating with local non-profit organizations and NGOs at each event, LIV provides opportunities for youth to engage with and deepen their understanding of golf. During LIV Golf Nashville in June, for example, the league collaborated with local non-profits including Black Lemonade, Backfield in Motion, and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee for a golf clinic led by LIV golfers as well as an educational nature walk experience for local youth.
In 2023, LIV Golf’s eight U.S. events generated an estimated $258 million in combined economic impact for U.S. communities.
“Impact and sustainability is at the heart of LIV Golf’s mission,” said Jake Jones, LIV Golf Senior Vice President of Impact and Sustainability. “We believe that golf has incredible potential to create significant positive social and environmental change, and as a global sports league, we have a duty to give back to communities around the world.”