Tournament Chairman Dr. Michael Golding announced today Major champion and five-time PGA TOUR winner Jason Dufner will receive the second of five available sponsor exemptions for the 2022 WM Phoenix Open, which is scheduled to be tee it up Feb. 7-13 at TPC Scottsdale.   The first 2022 WM Phoenix Open sponsor exemption went to Arizona State University freshman standout Preston Summerhays. The remaining three invites will be announced leading up to the tournament.

Dufner has racked up five PGA TOUR victories since turning professional in 2000 including the Zurich Classic of New Orleans and the HP Byron Nelson Championship in 2012, the 2016 CareerBuilder Challenge and the 2017 Memorial Tournament. His Major victory came at the 2013 PGA Championship at Oak Hills Country Club’s East Course which he won by two strokes over Jim Furyk. He has two Top-10 finishes in seven starts at the WM Phoenix Open, including a runner-up finish in a playoff loss to Mark Wilson in 2011.  Dufner also represented the United States in the Ryder Cup in 2012 and was part of the winning U.S. Presidents Cup team in 2013.

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 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 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 WM 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 or the 2022 WM Phoenix Open, visit thunderbirdscharities.org.