U.S. Olympic Swim Team legend Michael Phelps will be this year’s featured guest for the Waste Management Phoenix Open Presented by The Ak-Chin Indian Community Tee-Off Luncheon on Wednesday, Dec. 14, at The Phoenician Resort in Scottsdale.

This annual fan-favorite event will be emceed by Arizona Diamondbacks President and CEO Derrick Hall and will preview the 2017 Waste Management Phoenix Open as it celebrates its 82-year history.

Phelps will discuss his historic Olympic career, his plans now that he is retired from U.S.A. Swimming, and his new love for the game of golf.  The most decorated Olympian of all-time, Phelps has earned 28 total medals in five Olympic Games, including 23 gold medals.  He added six medals to his record tally at the 2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro last August, recording five more gold medals and one silver medal.

“This is one of our signature events for the Waste Management Phoenix Open and a chance to talk about all of the exciting things we have in store for 2017,” said Tournament Chairman Andy Markham.  “As a special bonus, we get to hear stories from the greatest Olympian ever and we can’t say enough how thrilled we are that Michael Phelps will be our featured speaker at the Tee-Off Luncheon.”

Tickets are $150 per person or $1,500 for a table of 10 and can be purchased on the Phoenix Chamber of Commerce website. Registration begins at 11:30 a.m. and the program will run from 12 – 1:30 p.m.

The 2017 Waste Management Phoenix Open Presented by The Ak-Chin Indian Community, also known as “The Greatest Show on Grass,” will be held at TPC Scottsdale January 30 – February 5, 2017. The Waste Management Phoenix Open is the best-attended golf tournament in the world and has gained legendary status for being the most unique stop on the PGA TOUR.  Last year’s tournament broke three attendance records, including a PGA TOUR record 618,365 fans for the week.  The 2017 edition will mark the 82nd playing of the event (one of the five oldest events on the PGA TOUR) and the eighth as the Waste Management 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 250 “life” members.  In 2016 The Thunderbirds raised a record $9.36 million for charity and have eclipsed $111 million in charitable giving since its inception in 1932.