Tournament Chairman George Thimsen announced today 2014 WM Phoenix Open champion and 18-year PGA TOUR veteran Kevin Stadler will receive the first of five available sponsor exemptions for the 2024 WM Phoenix Open presented by Taylor Morrison, set to tee it up February 5-11 at TPC Scottsdale.

“We’re excited and honored to award our first sponsor exemption to our 2014 champion,” WM Phoenix Open Tournament Chairman George Thimsen said. “Kevin is a great friend of The Thunderbirds and such a great supporter of our event, we are excited to have him back for the 89^th edition of ‘The People’s Open’.”

The son of former Masters champion Craig Stadler, Kevin joined the TOUR in in 2005 and has played in more than 300 events in his nearly 20-year professional career, racking up 23 Top-10s, eight Top-5s, and two runner up finishes. His PGA TOUR win came at the 2014 WM Phoenix Open where he held off Bubba Watson and Graham DeLaet for a first-place check totaling $1.16 million. Stadler looks to build off his previous success at TPC Scottsdale, making his 12^th appearance at “The People’s Open.”

The Thunderbirds and WM have a total of five exemptions to award for the 2024 WM Phoenix Open. The remaining four exemptions will be announced leading up to the tournament.