Arizona Cardinals all-time leading receiver Larry Fitzgerald; NFL Hall-Of-Famer Emmitt Smith; country music superstar Dierks Bentley and World Golf Hall of Famer Lorena Ochoa have been added to the list of star-studded celebrities from the sports and entertainment world who will be playing in the Annexus Pro-Am at the Waste Management Phoenix Open Presented by The Ak-Chin Indian Community on Wednesday, Jan. 29, at TPC Scottsdale’s Stadium Course.
Fitzgerald, a regular of late at the Annexus Pro-am, recently finished his 16th season in the NFL – all with the Arizona Cardinals. During that time, Fitzgerald has been named to 11 Pro Bowls, one First Team All-Pro (2008), twice led the NFL in receptions (2005, 2016), twice led the NFL in receiving touchdowns (2008, 2009), won the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award in 2016 and is currently ranked second all-time in NFL receiving yards with 17,083.
Smith retired as the NFL’s all-time leading rusher with 18,355 yards during his 15-year career with the Dallas Cowboys and Arizona Cardinals. During that time, Smith won three Super Bowls with the Cowboys (1992, 1993, 1995), was named first-team All-Pro four times (1992-1995) and was named the NFL Most Valuable Player in 1993. This marks Smith’s fourth appearance at the Annexus Pro-Am (2016, 2018, 2019). Smith won the Phoenix Suns Charities Shot at Glory closest-to-the-pin contest in 2016.
American country music sensation Dierks Bentley will be back once again at the Annexus Pro-Am in addition to headlining a sold-out show Friday night at the Coors Light Birds Nest. Bentley’s studio albums have accounted for 25 singles on the Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay charts, of which 16 have reached number one.
Former professional golfer Lorena Ochoa played on the LPGA Tour from 2003 to 2010 and held the top position in the Women’s Official World Golf Rankings for an LPGA Tour-record 158 consecutive weeks. She was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2017.
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, Jan. 29 on www.wmphoenixopen.com, along with a complete list of celebrities and PGA TOUR players in the field.
The 2020 Waste Management Phoenix Open Presented by The Ak-Chin Indian Community will be held at TPC Scottsdale January 27 – February 2, 2020. “The People’s Open” was recently named the Tournament of the Year by the PGA TOUR for 2019, an honor that has been awarded four times in the last six years (2014, 2015, 2018, 2019) to help the tournament gain legendary status for being one the most unique events in golf. The 2020 edition will mark the 85th playing of the event (one of the five oldest events on the PGA TOUR) and the 11th 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 280 “life” members. The Thunderbirds raised a record $13.2 million for charity from proceeds from the 2019 WM Phoenix Open and have eclipsed $147 million in charitable giving since its inception in 1932. For more information on The Thunderbirds or the 2020 Waste Management Phoenix Open, visit www.wmphoenixopen.com.
