Bubba Watson, Rickie Fowler and defending tournament champion Brooks Koepka are among the first commitments to the 2016 Waste Management Phoenix Open Presented by The AK-Chin Indian Community, set to tee it up February 1-7 at TPC Scottsdale.
A field of 132 players will vie for the $6.5 million purse, the $1,170,000 first-place check and 500 FedExCup points.
“The early list of commitments we have received is already impressive and we expect more big names to commit as we get closer to the tournament, which is now just 40 days away,” said Tournament Chairman Dan Mahoney.
Bubba Watson is the highest ranked player on the Official World Golf Ranking (No. 4) currently in the field and is coming off a solid 2015 season that included victories at the World Golf Championships-HSBS Champions and the Travelers Championship to finish fifth in the 2015 FedExCup standings.
Fowler came on strong in the second half of 2015, winning THE PLAYERS Championship and the Deutsche Bank Championship on his way to a fourth place finish in the 2015 FedExCup Standings. He currently ranks fifth in the Official World Golf Ranking.
Koepka, the defending champion, currently ranks 16th on the Official World Golf Ranking thanks to his stellar 2015 campaign which saw him earn eight Top-10 finishes after his first career victory in Scottsdale last February.
Other top-ranked golfers to commit include Kevin Kisner (17), Robert Streb (39), Anirban Lahiri (41), Brandt Snedeker (47), Danny Lee (48), Scott Piercy (49) and Chris Kirk (50).
Snedeker had one win and eight Top-10s to finish 23rd in the FedExCup standings in 2015, while Kisner currently sits atop the 2016 FedExCup leaderboard following his win at the RSM Classic in November.
Four past tournament champions are currently in the field, including Koepka (2015), Kyle Stanley (2012), Mark Wilson (2011) and Hunter Mahan (2010).
PGA TOUR members have until 5 p.m. on Friday, January 29, 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 2016 Waste Management Phoenix Open, known as “The Greatest Show on Grass” and the “People’s Major,” will be held at TPC Scottsdale from February 1-7, 2016.
The Waste Management Phoenix Open is the best-attended golf tournament in the world and has gained legendary status for being the most unique stop on the PGA Tour.
The 2016 edition will mark the 81st playing of the event and the seventh as the Waste Management Phoenix Open.
Here are other players who have committed to playing this year’s Waste Management Phoenix Open as of Dec. 22:
Alpha Field List:
Thomas Aiken
Tyler Aldridge
Abraham Ancer
Blayne Barber
Ricky Barnes
Charlie Beljan
Shane Bertsch
Zac Blair
Jonas Blixt
Jason Bohn
Bronson Burgoon
Chad Campbell
Miguel Angel Carballo
Roberto Castro
Bud Cauley
Alex Cejka
Kevin Chappell
Chad Collins
Ben Crane
Brian Davis
Brendon de Jonge
Graham DeLaet
Jason Dufner
Ken Duke
Harris English
Derek Ernst
Matt Every
Derek Fathauer
Rickie Fowler
Brice Garnett
Robert Garrigus
Brian Gay
Tom Gillis
Lucas Glover
Fabian Gomez
Andres Gonzales
Jason Gore
Luke Guthrie
Chesson Hadley
James Hahn
Brian Harman
Padraig Harrington
David Hearn
J.J. Henry
Jim Herman
Justin Hicks
Charley Hoffman
Morgan Hoffmann
Tom Hoge
Charles Howell III
Mark Hubbard
Freddie Jacobson
Sung Kang
Smylie Kaufman
Michael Kim
Si Woo Kim
Whee Kim
Chris Kirk
Kevin Kisner
Patton Kizzire
Colt Knost
Brooks Koepka
Jason Kokrak
Kelly Kraft
Anirban Lahiri
Martin Laird
Andrew Landry
Scott Langley
D.H. Lee
Danny Lee
Lucas Lee
Justin Leonard
Spencer Levin
Luke List
Andrew Loupe
Jamie Lovemark
Jarrod Lyle
Hunter Mahan
Peter Malnati
Steve Marino
Ben Martin
William McGirt
George McNeill
Troy Merritt
Bryce Molder
Henrik Norlander
Rob Oppenheim
Carlos Ortiz
Jeff Overton
Ryan Palmer
Rod Pampling
Cameron Percy
Pat Perez
John Peterson
Carl Pettersson
Scott Piercy
Martin Piller
Scott Pinckney
Dicky Pride
Chez Reavie
Kyle Reifers
Wes Roach
Sam Saunders
John Senden
Cameron Smith
Brandt Snedeker
Kyle Stanley
Shawn Stefani
Brett Stegmaier
Darron Stiles
Robert Streb
Kevin Streelman
Chris Stroud
Brian Stuard
Daniel Summerhays
Hudson Swafford
Nick Taylor
Brendon Todd
Tyrone Van Aswegen
Dawie van der Walt
Harold Varner III
Nick Watney
Bubba Watson
Will Wilcox
Mark Wilson
