As a University of Arizona undergrad in the late 1990s, Pat Williams would gather his buddies and head north on Interstate 10 to enjoy a day at the Phoenix Open. Decades later, the New Mexico native and Valley real estate professional is running the whole shebang as tournament chairman. A Phoenix Thunderbird since 2014, Williams has spent the last 12 months orchestrating the 2023 tournament while juggling his duties as Arizona market director for global leasing firm Jones Lang LaSalle. He talked to us about how he plans to manage this high-profile piece of real estate.
Mackin: Did you have an “Oh-my-God-I’m-going-to-be-Tournament Chairman” moment?
Williams: I think that happened last year when I was assistant chairman. Just seeing the amount of work [ex-chairman] Michael Golding put into this job and all of the time demands. That helped prepare me, but there are certainly moments where the responsibility is heavy, and it’s a big lift. The nice part is, with 55 active Thunderbirds, 200-plus [emeritus] Thunderbirds and our wonderful staff, there’s a lot of help and support. And after 87 years of [staging] the tournament, there are a lot of things we can replicate from the year prior.
What’s new this year?
We’re just trying to make the overall fan experience better. More restrooms, more water stations and a new Fan Zone with improved landscaping [plus] shaded areas and large TV screens for watching the golf. There’s a 2-year project starting on a redesigned main entrance area due to the new Draft Kings restaurant under construction where the Expo tent used to be. Last year was our inaugural Concert in the Coliseum on the 16th hole the Saturday before the tournament. That was a huge success and is coming back this year.
What was your take on the two crazy hole-in-one shots on the 16th last year?
I thought it was fantastic and very exciting for golf, our tournament and the fans. We didn’t love to see the cans thrown onto the hole, of course, and we got lucky that no one was injured. But the holes in one themselves? I hope we have another one this year.
Any new rules in place at 16 this year?
We are making some modifications, including there will be no served canned beer or alcohol of any type at the hole this year. Those will all be poured into plastic cups. While we may not be able to prohibit those cups from being thrown, they certainly won’t fly as far. We will also have more security and more trash cans. Tiger Woods’ hole in one in 1997 changed that hole and the tournament. Without it, the tournament would not have the notoriety it does today.
