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

A world-class field is set to tee it up at “The People’s Open” next week as PGA TOUR members had until 5 p.m. ET yesterday (Friday) to commit to play in the Waste Management Phoenix Open, scheduled to be played Feb. 1 – 7 at TPC Scottsdale. The last remaining sponsor exemptions were awarded to 2012 WM Phoenix Open champion Kyle Stanley and 2019 U.S. Amateur runner-up John Augenstein, while three qualifying spots are up for grabs and will be claimed during Monday’s qualifier.

World No. 9 Webb Simpson is back to defend his title against an outstanding field that includes top-ranked players and fan favorites like Jon Rahm, Justin Thomas, Rickie Fowler, Brooks Koepka, Xander Schauffele, Gary Woodland, Jason Day, Bubba Watson, and for the first time ever, Rory McIlroy.

The field includes five of the Top-10 and 21 of the Top-50 ranked players in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR), along with 15 Major champions, four FedExCup champions and nine WM Phoenix Open champions, including defending champion Webb Simpson.

“We’re pumped to showcase one of the best fields in tournament history that includes our last seven champions, highly ranked players including a first ever appearance by Rory McIlroy, multiple Major winners and FedExCup champs, and the next group of up-and-coming PGA TOUR stars,” Jenkins said. “With five of the Top-10 and nearly half of the Top-50 golfers in the world, our fans can expect some great golf next week.”

Rahm is the highest ranked player in the field (2), followed closely by Thomas who sits third. The other top-ranked players include Xander Schauffele (6), Rory McIlroy (7), Webb Simpson (9), Brooks Koepka (12), Daniel 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. The nine former champs in the field include Simpson (2020), Fowler (2019), Woodland (2018), Matsuyama (2016, 2017), Koepka (2015), Kevin Stadler (2014), Stanley (2012), Hunter Mahan (201) and J.B. Holmes (2006, 2008).

Along with Stanley and Augenstein, the other three sponsor exemptions were awarded to Padraig Harrington, Will Zalatoris and Davis Riley.

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 had 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.