Tournament Chairman Pat Williams announced today two-time champion of “The People’s Open” J.B. Holmes will receive the second of five available sponsor exemptions for the the 2023 [geoswitch][geoswitch_case country_code=”US” state_code=”AZ”]WM Phoenix Open Presented by Taylor Morrison[/geoswitch_case][geoswitch_case]WM Phoenix Open[/geoswitch_case][/geoswitch], set to tee it up February 6-12 at TPC Scottsdale.
“Not only is J.B. a two-time champion, he is an incredible supporter of our event,” Williams said. “We’re thrilled to give him another opportunity to tee it up at TPC Scottsdale and looking forward to seeing him here during tournament week.”
Holmes has racked up five PGA TOUR victories during his 18-year professional career including the 2006 and 2008 WM Phoenix Open, with his most recent win coming at the 2019 Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles. Holmes also was part of two victorious U.S. Ryder Cup teams (2008, 2016) and was a member of the winning U.S. Presidents Cup team in 2015. This will be Holmes’ 17th appearance at “The People’s Open.”
The Thunderbirds and WM have a total of five exemptions to award for the 2023 WM Phoenix Open. PGA TOUR veteran Charley Hoffman received the first sponsor exemption earlier this month with the remaining three exemptions to be announced leading up to the tournament.
The competitive WM Phoenix Open field will vie for the increased purse of $20 million, the $3,6 million first-place check and 500 FedExCup points. PGA TOUR members have until 5 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 3, 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 WM Phoenix Open. This year, the WM Phoenix Open is guaranteed to have the majority of the Top-20 players at its event thanks to the commitment from PGA TOUR players in the Player Impact Program. The 2023 WM Phoenix Open has been named one of the PGA TOUR’s “designated status” events.