Anthony Kim, Keegan Bradley and Ian Poulter Among Latest Commitments to 2012 Waste Management Phoenix Open

Three-time PGA TOUR winner Anthony Kim, two-time PGA TOUR winner (including the 2011 PGA Championship) Keegan Bradley and Englishmen Ian Poulter are among the latest commitments to the 2012 Waste Management Phoenix Open. The 2012 Waste Management Phoenix Open will be played next week at the TPC Scottsdale.

To date, four of the top six and 94 of the top 125 leading Money Winners from the 2011 PGA TOUR Season have committed to play in the 2012 Waste Management Phoenix Open. The field includes 17 of the top 30 from the 2011 FedEx Cup final standings. A field of 132 players will vie for the $6.1 million purse, the $1,098,000 first-place check and FedEx Cup points.

Webb Simpson (No. 2), Nick Watney (No. 3), Dustin Johnson (No. 5) and Kuchar (No. 6) are the four leading 2011 Money Winners to commit.

PGA TOUR members have until 5 p.m. on Friday, January 27, to commit to play in the Waste Management Phoenix Open. Eligible players are assigned one of 34 PGA TOUR priority ranking categories based on their past performance on TOUR. The field will continue to change as players with higher priority rankings commit to play in the Open.

Three-time Phoenix Open Champion Mark Calcavecchia, PGA TOUR rookie Harris English, 15-time PGA TOUR winner Fred Couples and Scottsdale resident Jeff Quinney received the first four sponsor exemptions. The Thunderbirds have a total of five exemptions to give out to the 2012 Waste Management Phoenix Open. The remaining exemption will be announced in the coming days leading up to the tournament.

Other notables currently in the 2012 Waste Management Phoenix Open field include; 12-time PGA TOUR winner Justin Leonard, the 31st ranked player on the Official World Golf Rankings Bo Van Pelt, 2007 U.S. Open and 2009 Masters Champion Angel Cabrera, 2009 U.S. Open Champion Lucas Glover, 2009 tournament champion Kenny Perry, two-time Phoenix Open Champion Vijay Singh, Brandt Snedeker, Charles Howell III as well as a host of 2011 first-time winners including Scott Stallings, Brendon Steele, Bryce Molder, Chris Kirk, D.A. Points, Jacobson, Harrison Frazar, Kevin Na and Scott Piercy.

A number of local golfers also have committed including Robert Garrigus, Ricky Barnes, Martin Laird, Billy Mayfair, Pat Perez, Chez Reavie, Mathew Goggin and Kevin Streelman.

The Waste Management Phoenix Open will be played January 30 – February 5, 2012, at the TPC Scottsdale. The tournament host Thunderbirds have raised more than $75 million for charities, with more than $45 million generated since 2004. The 2012 edition will mark the 77th playing of the event, making it one of the five oldest events on the PGA TOUR (not including the major championships). Title sponsor Waste Management, Inc., based in Houston, Texas, is the leading provider of comprehensive waste management services in North America. Through its subsidiaries, the company provides collection, transfer, recycling and resource recovery, and disposal services. It is also a leading developer, operator and owner of waste-to-energy and landfill gas-to-energy facilities in the United States. The company’s customers include residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers throughout North America.

For more information on Waste Management visit wm.com or thinkgreen.com.

For more information on the Waste Management Phoenix Open, visit wmphoenixopen.com.