The Thunderbirds organization, hosts of the annual Waste Management Phoenix Open, said this week that the 2021 version of the golf tournament raised $3.85 million that will be distributed among local charities.
The 2021 version of the WM Phoenix Open was impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic through reduced attendance and limited use of hospitality venues, but Thunderbirds officials were very encouraged by the amount of money raised for charitable organizations, despite the lower attendance that ate into overall revenue. By comparison, the pre-Covid version of the tournament in 2019 raised more than $13 million for area charities, a record for the event.
“Our Arizona communities prove time and time again they are willing to rally behind this event and the hundreds of charities and nonprofit organizations it supports – especially in times of crisis when charitable organizations have been hit extremely hard,” said Scott Jenkins, tournament chairman for the 2021 WM Phoenix Open and current Big Chief of The Thunderbirds, in a statement.
