Tournament Chairman Pat Williams announced today PGA TOUR rookie Taylor Montgomery will receive the third of five available sponsor exemptions for the 2023 WM Phoenix Open, which is scheduled to be played February 6-12 at TPC Scottsdale.

“Taylor is putting together an incredible rookie season and has clearly established himself as one of the PGA TOUR’s rising stars,” said 2023 Tournament Chairman Pat Williams. “We’re thrilled of offer him a sponsor exemption and can’t wait to see what he can do at his first WM Phoenix Open.”

The 2022-2023 season is Montgomery’s first on TOUR, but he is already off to an impressive start. In nine total events, Montgomery has made all nine cuts, finished in the Top-25 in eight events, four of which were Top-10 finishes including a third-place finish in the Fortinet Championship last September and a solo fifth at last week’s The American Express. The recent success could be attributed to his putting, in which he holds Top-10 rankings in five of six putting statistics measured by the PGA TOUR.  Montgomery ranks ninth in the current FedExCup standings and will make his first WM Phoenix Open appearance in 2023.

The Thunderbirds and title sponsor WM have a total of five exemptions to award for the 2023 WM Phoenix Open. The first two sponsor exemptions were awarded to PGA TOUR veteran Charley Hoffman and two-time WM Phoenix Open champion J.B. Holmes. The remaining two exemptions will be announced leading up to the tournament.

The competitive WM Phoenix Open field will vie for the increased purse of $20 million, the $3,6 million first-place check and 500 FedExCup points. PGA TOUR members have until 5 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 3, to commit to play in the WM 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 WM Phoenix Open. This year, the WM Phoenix Open is guaranteed to have the majority of the Top-20 players at its event thanks to the commitment from PGA TOUR players in the Player Impact Program. The 2023 WM Phoenix Open has been named one of the PGA TOUR’s “designated status” events.