Tournament Chairman Pat Williams announced today PGA TOUR rookie Davis Thompson and 19-year PGA TOUR veteran Ricky Barnes will receive the fourth and fifth available sponsor exemptions for 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], which is scheduled to be played February 6-12 at TPC Scottsdale.
The 2022-2023 season is Thompson’s first on TOUR and he is already off to a promising beginning to his rookie campaign. The 23-year-old has made seven cuts in eight starts and has notched two Top-10’s, including his runner-up finish earlier in January at The American Express. He held at least a share of the lead after each of the first three rounds and finished just one shot back of winner Jon Rahm. During that run, he carded five eagles over the four days of play, becoming only the seventh player to make five eagles in a 72-hole event. He currently ranks 20th in the FedExCup standings.
“Davis is a tremendous young talent and is already having an impressive rookie season, as we witnessed in his battle with Jon Rahm a few weeks ago in Palm Springs,” Williams said. “He has put together a great stint so far on this West Coast Swing, we are excited to give him the chance to keep that going here at the WM Phoenix Open.”
Phoenix resident and University of Arizona alum Ricky Barnes has appeared in nine WM Phoenix Open’s, with a T-14 in his first ever start in 2004. He has played in 335 events in his 19-year career on the PGA TOUR, notching 18 Top-10s, three third-place finishes and most notably, his runner-up outing in the 2009 U.S. Open at Bethpage Black. A four-time All-American at Arizona, Barnes won the U.S. Amateur Championship in 2002 and earned the Ben Hogan Award in 2003 as the country’s best college golfer.
“Ricky has been a huge supporter of this tournament, we are excited to have him back,” Williams said. “We are thrilled to support one of our local TOUR players and we look forward to a great week for everyone in the field this year.”
The Thunderbirds and title sponsor WM had a total of five exemptions to award for the 2023 WM Phoenix Open. The first three sponsor exemptions were awarded to PGA TOUR veteran Charley Hoffman, two-time WM Phoenix Open champion J.B. Holmes, and rising star Taylor Montgomery.
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.