FIELD NOW BOASTS 5 OF THE TOP-10, 11 OF TOP-20 PLAYERS IN THE WORLD

“The People’s Open” field continues to get stronger as World Top-10s Viktor Hovland (5) and Xander Schauffele (7) have committed to play in the 2022 WM Phoenix Open, which is set to tee it up Feb. 7-13 at TPC Scottsdale.   The field now includes five players ranked in the Top-10 and 11 of the Top-20 in the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR).

Hovland has three PGA TOUR wins under his belt since turning pro in 2019, including a victory at the Worldwide Technology Championship at Mayakoba last November.  The Norwegian is coming off a stellar 2020-21 season where he earned a win (Mayakoba Golf Classic), two runner-up finishes, two third place finishes and a T5 at the season-ending TOUR Championship to finish fifth overall in the final FedExCup standings.  This will be Hovland’s second appearance at the WM Phoenix Open.

Schauffele, the gold medal winner at the 2021 Olympic Games, also had a spectacular 2020-21 season, notching three runner-up finishes, four Top-5’s, eight top-10s and a matching T5 with Hovland at the TOUR Championship to tie him for fifth in the final FedExCup standings.  His outstanding season was capped with that Gold Medal in Tokyo and a win as a member of the victorious U.S. Ryder Cup team.  He has finished inside the Top-20 in all four WM Phoenix Open appearances, including his runner-up finish in 2021.

The star-studded field now features 22 players ranked in the Top-50 of the Official World Golf Rankings, led by Jon Rahm who sits first in the standings and followed closely by Hovland at 5th. The other top-ranked players include Justin Thomas (6), Schauffele (7), Hideki Matsuyama (10), Sam Burns (13), Jordan Spieth (14), Scottie Scheffler (15), Tony Finau (16), Brooks Koepka (17), Abraham Ancer (19), Jason Kokrak (21), Billy Horschel (23), Matt Fitzpatrick (25), Webb Simpson (29), Talor Gooch (32), Max Homa (35), Kevin Kisner (37), Russell Henley (39), Corey Conners (40), Lucas Herbert (44) and Seamus Power (47).

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 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 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 13^th with WM 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.