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Chance Cozby, tournament chairman of the 2019 Waste Management Phoenix Open, is gearing up for this year鈥檚 tournament, which is expected to be bigger and more popular than ever before.

The tournament is hosted by the Ak-Chin Indian Community and the Thunderbirds, a philanthropic group founded in 1937, at the golf course.

鈥淗ere we are in January, and it鈥檚 going to be probably 65 [degrees] and sunny today, so golf drives our state in many, many ways,鈥� Cozby said, standing near the 18th hole at TPC Scottsdale. 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 fitting that we have the biggest golf event on the PGA Tour, and it鈥檚 a great way for us and our partner, Waste Management, to showcase our state and to showcase our town and what we can do.鈥�

There are about 460 private viewing suites at TPC Scottsdale, and the property is still growing, Cozby said. Improvements will be made to the structure at the 16th hole, while the Cove club at hole 17 will see 11 new suites for 2019.

鈥淥ur big growth on the hospitality side is going to be on the 18th hole,鈥� Cozby said. 鈥淲e used to have a 30-suite, single-story structure on the right side of 18. This year, we鈥檙e going to have a double-decker, 60-suite structure with a new look, a new feel and new branding, and it鈥檚 really going to be one of the highlights of the year.鈥�

The open drew more than 700,000 visitors to the Valley in 2018, bringing a 鈥渟ignificant鈥� of more than $390 million to the state, Cozby said.

鈥淲e partner with Waste Management, and we partner with the Ak-Chin Indian Community as our core sponsors, and last year we gave away over $12.2 million in charity,鈥� Cozby said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the number one PGA Tour event, from a charitable giving standpoint.鈥�

Charitable giving from the tournament is primarily directed at organizations that help women and children in need, including Phoenix Children鈥檚 Hospital, Cozby said. That鈥檚 鈥渨hat the Thunderbirds do鈥� and has always been the core focus of the Phoenix Open, he said.

鈥淓verything we do at the Waste Management Phoenix Open is driven towards helping this community,鈥� Cozby said. 鈥淥ur goal is to grow the charity number every single year.鈥�

The begins at 9:30 a.m. on January 28 and runs through February 3 with other events along the way, including a and the four-day. General admission is free to the public for the first two days of the tournament 鈥� January 28 and 29 鈥� as part of 鈥淔ord Free Days,鈥�.

Last year鈥檚 tournament received the from Scottsdale-based GEO Foundation for sustainability in golf for its efforts to 鈥渂alance environmental impacts, conserve natural resources and benefit the local community,鈥� according to a press release.

鈥淲e put on the greenest show on grass, the, and why wouldn鈥檛 you want to come to Scottsdale, Arizona 鈥� Phoenix, Arizona 鈥� and play golf?鈥� Cozby asked.