Tournament Chairman Dr. Michael Golding announced today the Waste Management Phoenix Open has already received early commitments from some of the top PGA TOUR players who will tee it up at “The People’s Open” February 7-13 at TPC Scottsdale.  Those among the first to commit include World No. 1 golfer and 2021 U.S. Open winner Jon Rahm, as well as World No. 6 golfer and 14-time PGA TOUR champion Justin Thomas.

“Last year we had one of the strongest fields we have ever had in tournament history, and we look to continue that trend in 2022,” Golding said.  “Obviously this is a great start getting commitments from Jon Rahm and Justin Thomas, we can’t wait to see how the rest of the field shapes up as we get closer to the 87^th edition of ‘The People’s Open’.”

Rahm turned in a strong 2021 campaign that included a win at the 2021 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines and runner-up finish at the season-ending Tour Championship, Top-10 finishes in all four Majors, and a second overall finish in the 2021 FedExCup standings.  The former Arizona State Sun Devil standout has 14 total professional wins, including seven on the European Tour and six on the PGA TOUR.  Rahm has three Top-10 finishes at TPC Scottsdale in his six appearances, including his fifth-place finish in 2015 playing as an amateur.  He finished 13^th in 2021 and has finished no worse than 16^th in his six starts.

Thomas had a similarly stellar year in 2021, earning seven Top-10s that included a win at the PLAYERS Championship and fourth-place finishes at the Masters and the Tour Championship on his way to a Top-5 finish (solo fourth) in the FedExCup standings.  This will be Thomas’ eight appearance at the Waste Management Phoenix Open, with his best finishes a solo third place in 2019 and 2020.

A field of 132 players will vie for the $8.2 million purse, the $1,476,000 first-place check and 500 FedExCup points.  PGA TOUR members have until 5 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 4, 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 2022 WM Phoenix Open will take place Feb. 7-13 at TPC Scottsdale. “The People’s Open” has been named the Tournament of the Year by the PGA TOUR four times in the past seven years (2014, 2015, 2018, 2019) to acknowledge the tournament’s legendary status as one the most unique events in golf. The 2022 edition will mark the 87th playing of the event (one of the five oldest events on the PGA TOUR) and the 13^th with Waste Management as title sponsor.

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 who have helped the tournament eclipse $165 million in charitable giving since its inception in 1932 (through the 2021 tournament).  For more information on The Thunderbirds, visit www.thunderbirdcharities.org.