 The Phoenix Open began in 1932, was discontinued after the 1935 event, and was revived again thanks to one man's vision, energy, and dedication. Bob Goldwater, Sr., an avid golfer, persuaded his fellow Thunderbirds into running the tournament, and in 1939 the Phoenix Open was officially reborn. Unfortunately, Goldwater was on his own when it came to most of the work, as his fellow Thunderbirds were not immediately quite as enthused about it as he was. Not to be discouraged, Goldwater printed tickets, obtained sponsorships, gained use of the Phoenix Country Club, and then decided to also invite a few of his friends to play in the event. Those friends just happened to be Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, and a golfer by the name of Ben Hogan. That year, 27-year-old Byron Nelson won the $700 first prize, with Hogan finishing second, 12 strokes back and collecting $450. After the success of the 1939 Phoenix Open and a few more persuasive conversations, The Thunderbirds finally came around and offered their full support, while sponsoring an Open every year except 1943, when wartime travel restrictions forced a one-year hiatus. The list of Waste Management Phoenix Open winners reads like a golf Hall of Fame, with older legends the likes of Byron Nelson, Ben Hogan, Billy Casper, Gene Littler, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Miller Barber, Johnny Miller, and Ben Crenshaw heading the list, with more recent names like Lee Janzen, Vijay Singh, Phil Mickelson, Steve Jones, and Tom Lehman rounding things out.
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