Scheffler, Watson, Hoffman and Homa Latest to Commit to 2022 WM Phoenix Open

More early commitments continue to roll in as World No. 11 Scottie Scheffler, 12-time PGA TOUR winner and two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson, Waste Management Ambassador and four-time PGA TOUR winner Charley Hoffman, and World No. 34 Max Homa all 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, Top-50 players Jason Kokrak (21), Talor Gooch (32), Lucas Herbert (41), Christiaan Bezuidenhout (48) and Si Woo Kim (49) committed to play.

Scheffler burst onto the PGA TOUR scene in 2020 after winning Korn Ferry TOUR Player of the Year in 2019. His first season on the PGA TOUR proved fruitful with 13 Top-25 finishes and two third place finishes in route to fifth place in the 2020 FedExCup Standings and 2020 PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year honors. Scheffler didn’t slow down in 2021, carding eight Top-10 finishes including a runner-up at the World Golf Championships Dell Technologies Match Play, and was a member of the winning U.S. Ryder Cup team (his first Ryder Cup appearance), where he went 2-0-1 and won his singles match against world No. 1 Jon Rahm. He also is one of only 12 players in PGA TOUR history to card a 59 in tournament play (Northern Trust). This will be Scheffler’s second appearance at the WM Phoenix Open; he finished T-7 last year in his debut at TPC Scottsdale.

A perennial WM Phoenix Open fan favorite, Watson is no stranger to TPC Scottsdale, carding six Top-10 finishes – including two runner-up finishes – in 15 starts at “The People’s Open.” Despite never winning the WM Phoenix Open, Watson sits an impressive sixth in all-time money, taking home more than $2.5 million for his efforts. He has 12 career PGA TOUR victories under his belt including Masters victories in 2012 and 2014 and he has been a member of four U.S. Ryder Cup Teams (2010, 2012, 2014, 2018).  Watson had five Top-10s and nine Top-25 finishes in 2021, with his best outing a T-4 at the ZoZo Championship.

PGA TOUR veteran Charley Hoffman has four PGA TOUR victories and 15 WM Phoenix Open appearances that included a runner-up finish in 2009. Last season Hoffman carded five Top-10s and 14 Top-25s that included a runner-up finish at the Valero Texas Open and T-3 at the Charles Schwab Challenge. He currently ranks 71st in the Official World Golf Rankings.

Homa is coming off arguably his best professional season in 2021 in which he carded five Top-5’s that included a win at The Genesis Invitational to finish 35th overall in the FedExCup standings.  He is off to a hot start this year as well, earning his third career PGA TOUR victory at the season-opening Fortinet Championship.  He is currently ranked 34th in the Official World Golf Rankings and sixth in the FedExCup standings.

Currently the field has 11 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 Thomas at 6th. The other top-ranked players include Scheffler (11), Brooks Koepka (16), Hideki Matsuyama (18), Kokrak (21), Gooch (32), Homa (34), Herbert (41), Bezuidenhout (48) and 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 13th 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.

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