Matt Kuchar, a nine-time PGA TOUR winner and four-time U.S. Ryder Cup team member, is one of the latest players to commit to the 2019 Waste Management Phoenix Open, set to tee it up January 28-February 3 at TPC Scottsdale. Additionally, Alex Noren, who ranks 21st in the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR), also committed to the tournament.

“The People’s Open” field continues to take shape and now includes four of the Top-10, 11 of the Top-25 and 20 of the Top-50 golfers in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR).

Kuchar is off to a blistering start in the 2018-2019 wrap-around PGA TOUR season, winning twice already at the Mayakoba Golf Classic in Mexico, and last week at the Sony Open in Hawaii. He has accrued nine PGA TOUR victories over his 19-year professional career and represented the United States four times as a member of the Ryder Cup team (2010, 2012, 2014, 2016) and in the 2016 Summer Olympics where he took the bronze medal. The 2019 event will mark Kuchar’s 10th time playing in the WM Phoenix Open – he has three top-10 finishes in Scottsdale, with his best a T5, which came in 2018. He currently ranks 22nd in the OWGR.

Sweden native Alex Noren is coming off a strong 2018 campaign, in which he carded three Top-10 finishes, including a T2 finish at the Farmers Insurance Open. Noren has 11 professional victories – all coming internationally – and represented the victorious European Ryder Cup team in 2018.

The 20 Top-50 golfers who have already committed include Justin Thomas (4), Xander Schauffele (6), Jon Rahm (7), Tony Finau (10), Rickie Fowler (13), Bubba Watson (17), Webb Simpson (20), Alex Noren (21), Matt Kuchar (22), Gary Woodland (23), Tyrrell Hatton (25), Cameron Smith (29), Hideki Matsuyama (30), Kyle Stanley (33), Phil Mickelson (34), Billy Horschel (36), Andrew Putnam (45), Brandt Snedeker (46), Satoshi Kodaira (49) and Kevin Na (50).

A field of 132 players will vie for the $7.1 million purse, the $1,278,000 first-place check and 500 FedExCup points. PGA TOUR members have until 5 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 25, 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 2019 Waste Management Phoenix Open will be held at TPC Scottsdale January 28 – February 3, 2019. “The People’s Open” was recently tabbed the 2018 Tournament of Year by the PGA TOUR, is the best-attended golf tournament in the world and has gained legendary status for being the most unique events in golf. The 2019 edition will mark the 84th playing of the event (one of the five oldest events on the PGA TOUR) and the 10th as the Waste Management Phoenix Open.

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 285 “life” members. In 2018 The Thunderbirds raised a record $12.2 million for charity from proceeds from last year’s tournament and have eclipsed $134 million in charitable giving since its inception in 1932. For more information on The Thunderbirds, visit www.thunderbirdscharities.org