WM Phoenix Open season starts with Cardinals legend Larry Fitzgerald

• Larry Fitzgerald was the featured speaker at the 2026 WM Phoenix Open Tee-Off Luncheon.
• Fitzgerald has been named an honorary Thunderbird, the charitable group that organizes the golf tournament.

Larry Fitzgerald might be the most famous, most recognizable, most accomplished figure in Arizona sports history – and he’s certainly the best storyteller.

“It was ordained,” the retired Cardinals star said Wednesday, Dec. 3, at Chase Field, where a few hundred members of Phoenix’s business and philanthropic communities gathered for the 2026 WM Phoenix Open Tee-Off Luncheon.

Fitzgerald described his journey, sitting with Arizona Diamondbacks president and CEO Derrick Hall, including how he ended up as a Pitt Panther after growing up in Minnesota.

Fitzgerald had gone on a recruiting trip with a coach and a few teammates, visiting schools such as Illinois and Ohio State on the way to Penn State.  

“But there was a torrential downpour,” Fitzgerald said.

His group was stuck in Pittsburgh, so they decided to visit Pitt.  

“Tony Dorsett, Dan Marino, Curtis Martin,” Fitzgerald said. “All these great players had gone there.”

Fitzgerald showed up unannounced, but it wasn’t too long before the Pitt coaching staff figured out who he was and offered him a scholarship.

It wouldn’t have happened without that rainstorm.

“People don’t talk about luck enough,” Fitzgerald said. “Sometimes, people are just lucky.”

These days, Fitz’s luck extends to the Thunderbirds, the charitable organization that puts on the WM Phoenix Open every year.

Fitzgerald has been made an honorary Thunderbird, and he’s the face of the tournament, known as The People’s Open for its relaxed and often-rowdy environment.

Previous featured speakers have included President George W. Bush, Condoleezza Rice, Michael Phelps and Nick Saban.

The tournament draws more than 700,000 people to TPC Scottsdale over Super Bowl weekend each year, generating millions of dollars for Arizona charities.

Organizers said they’ve raised about $226 million since 1937, including a record $18.1 million this year for groups such as Hope Women’s Center, the Boys & Girls Club of the Valley and the Barrow Neurological Foundation.

The upcoming tournament is scheduled from Feb. 3-8, promising upgrades all over the course, starting with a new grandstand at the event’s signature 16^th Hole.

Fitzgerald, like any golfer, downplayed his skills on the course, but acknowledged he’s looking forward to the annual Pro-Am, saying his game is “solid,” but added, “I don’t get to play as much as I’d like to.”