FIELD NOW INCLUDES 5 OF TOP-10, 21 OF TOP-50 IN OFFICIAL WORLD GOLF RANKING

Tournament Chairman Scott Jenkins announced today 2017 FedExCup champion Justin Thomas, three-time Major champion Jordan Spieth and 2015 PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year Daniel Berger are among the latest to commit to the Waste Management Phoenix Open field, which will tee it up February 1-7 at TPC Scottsdale.

Currently five of the Top-10 ranked players in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) have committed to play in “The People’s Open”.

“The 2021 field is shaping up to be one of the best ever,” Jenkins said. “Nearly half of the Top-50 golfers in the world are coming to our event and represent Major championship winners, FedExCup winners and some of the most recognizable and talented players in the world. That’s really special and something we’re very proud of.”

Thomas is among the PGA TOUR’s best players, owning 13 PGA TOUR wins over his eight-year professional career including a Major championship victory at the 2017 PGA Championship. The Kentucky native is coming off a three-win season in 2020 on his way to a runner-up finish in the FedExCup standings. Thomas’ best season came in 2017 in which he recorded five PGA TOUR wins, placed first in the FedExCup standings, was named the PGA of America and PGA TOUR Player of the Year, and was the PGA TOUR leading money winner. Thomas also was a member of the victorious 2017 and 2019 U.S. Presidents Cup Team, and the winning 2018 Ryder Cup Team. He has finished in the Top-20 in four of his six WM Phoenix Open starts, including back-to-back solo third finishes the last two years. He currently ranks third in the OWGR.

Spieth’s storied career began in 2013 where he was awarded PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year honors. Just two years later in 2015, the Texas native put together one of the greatest PGA TOUR seasons of all time, winning five times including two Major titles (2015 Masters, 2015 U.S. Open) and the 2015 TOUR Championship on his way to a FedExCup title, and PGA of America and PGA TOUR Player of the Year honors. Spieth has 11 total PGA TOUR victories and three Major championship titles, was part of the victorious 2013, 2015, and 2017 U.S. Presidents Cup teams as well as three U.S. Ryder Cup teams (2014, 2016, 2018). He has two Top-10s in four starts at TPC Scottsdale, with his best outing a seventh place finish in 2015.

Berger – who won the PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year in 2015 – enjoyed a lucrative 2017 season in which he carded six Top-10 finishes including a successful title defense at the 2017 FedEx St. Jude Classic and two second-place finishes at the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions and the Travelers Championship. After injuries hindered his 2019 campaign, Berger came back strong in 2020 with a win at the Charles Schwab Championship and a 15^th-place finish in the FedExCup standings. Berger was a member of the victorious 2017 U.S. Presidents Cup team and will make his seventh start at the WM Phoenix Open in 2021 where he has three Top-10 finishes in six career starts.

Currently the field has 21 players ranked in the Top-50 of the Official World Golf Rankings, led by Jon Rahm who sits 2nd in the standings followed closely by Thomas at 3^rd. The other top-ranked players include Xander Schauffele (6), Rory McIlroy (7), Webb Simpson (9), Brooks Koepka (12), Berger (13), Matthew Wolff (15), Harris English (16), Sungjae Im (17), Hideki Matsuyama (21), Louis Oosthuizen (24), Ryan Palmer (28), Scottie Scheffler (33), Billy Horschel (39), Gary Woodland (40), Matt Kuchar (41), Jason Day (43), Brendon Todd (46), Bubba Watson (47), and Si Woo Kim (48).

The field also includes 17 of the Top-30 in the current FedExCup standings, along with 15 players who finished in the Top-30 in last year’s FedExCup race.

A field of 132 players will vie for the $7.3 million purse, the $1,314,000 first-place check and 500 FedExCup points. PGA TOUR members have until 5 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 29, 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.

The 2021 WM Phoenix Open will be held at TPC Scottsdale February 1-7. “The People’s Open” was named the Tournament of the Year by the PGA TOUR four times in the past six years (2014, 2015, 2018, 2019) to acknowledge the tournament’s legendary status as one the most unique events in golf. The 2021 edition will mark the 86th playing of the event (one of the five oldest events on the PGA TOUR) and the 12th as the WM Phoenix Open.

The Thunderbirds were founded in 1937 with the mission of promoting the Valley of the Sun through sports. The Thunderbirds consist of 55 “active” members and more than 280 “life” members. The Thunderbirds raised a record $14 million for charity from proceeds from the 2020 WM Phoenix Open and have eclipsed $161 million in charitable giving since its inception in 1932. For more information on The Thunderbirds, visit www.thunderbirdscharities.org.