Olympic swimming champion Michael Phelps headlines the celebrity lineup for Wednesday's Waste Management Phoenix Open Annexus Pro-Am at the TPC of Scottsdale's Stadium Course.
Phelps retired from competitive swimming after the 2012 Olympics as the most-decorated Olympian of all-time, with a total of 22 medals. Since retiring, he has been participating in The Haney Project with noted instructor Hank Haney for a show to premier on The Golf Channel on Feb. 25. A Golf Channel crew will be on-site to film Phelps' progress for the show.
Other celebrities entries include Phoenix native and 10-time Grammy-nominated country singer Dierks Bentley, former NBA star Julius Erving, former Super Bowl champion Jim McMahon, 13-time MLB All-Star Ken Griffey Jr., two-time Daytona 500 champion Michael Waltrip and current Diamondbacks players Ian Kennedy and Aaron Hill.
Tee times for the Annexus Pro-Am will be from 8:30 through 10:30 a.m. Specific tee times for participating amateurs and celebrities will be announced Tuesday evening.
Tuesday's events include the CBS Special Olympics Open at 11 a.m. It is a putting challenge featuring Special Olympians, celebrity/sports stars, business leaders and PGA Tour professionals. Sports figures in the competition include Calais Campbell and Jay Feely from the Arizona Cardinals; Kennedy, Willie Bloomquist and Luis Gonzalez from the Diamondbacks; and Channing Frye and Tom Chambers from the Suns.
The tournament begins Thursday with a field that includes 20 of the Top 50 in the world golf rankings -- including Phil Mickelson, Bubba Watson, Brandt Snedeker, Jason Dufner, Keegan Bradley, Hunter Mahan, Rickie Fowler and Padraig Harrington. The defending champion is Kyle Stanley.
