BURNS, ANCER ALSO COMMIT, EARLY FIELD ALREADY BOASTS EIGHT OF TOP-20 IN THE WORLD

“The People’s Open” field continues to grow as former champions Rickie Fowler (2019) and Webb Simpson (2020) have committed to play in the 2022 Waste Management Phoenix Open, which is set to tee it up Feb. 7-13 at TPC Scottsdale.   Additionally, World  No. 10 Sam Burns and World No. 17 Abraham Ancer also committed to play.

One of the most popular players on the PGA TOUR and winner of the 2019 WM Phoenix Open, Fowler will be making his 14^th appearance at the 2022 edition of “The People’s Open.” To date, Fowler has racked up five PGA TOUR victories including the 2015 Players Championship. In 2014, Fowler became only the third player, along with Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods, to have finished in the Top-5 in all four majors in one calendar year.  During his previous 13 appearances at the WM Phoenix Open, Fowler has one win, two runner-up finishes, a fourth-place finish and six total Top-25s, putting him squarely in the Top-5 money winners at the event ($3.2 million).  He also has been a member of four U.S. Ryder Cup teams (2010, 2014, 2016, 2018) and three U.S. Presidents Cup teams (2015, 2017, 2019).

North Carolina native and 2012 U.S. Open Champion Webb Simpson will make his 12^th start at TPC Scottsdale where he has one WM Phoenix Open victory (2020), a runner-up finish (four-hole playoff with Hideki Matsuyama), and three additional Top-10 finishes.  Simpson has seven career PGA TOUR victories, and he has been a member of three U.S. Ryder Cup teams (2012, 2014, 2018) and three U.S. Presidents Cup teams (2011, 2013, 2019).  He currently ranks 28^th in the Official World Golf Rankings.

Currently the field has 15 players ranked in the Top-50 of the Official World Golf Rankings, led by Jon Rahm who sits first in the standing and followed closely by Justin Thomas at 8th. The other top-ranked players include Sam Burns (10), Scottie Scheffler (13), Brooks Koepka (16), Abraham Ancer (17), Hideki Matsuyama (18), Jason Kokrak (20), Webb Simpson (28), Talor Gooch (32), Max Homa (35), Corey Conners (38), Lucas Herbert (41), Christian Bezuidenhout (48) and Si-Woo Kim (49).

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 thunderbirdscharities.org.