Webb Simpson, Kevin Na and Brandt Snedeker commit to 2020 Phoenix Open

Tournament Chairman Tim Woods announced today a trio of top-ranked golfers have committed to the Waste Management Phoenix Open field and will tee it up at “The People’s Open”, Jan. 27 – Feb. 2 at TPC Scottsdale.  These commits include 2012 U.S. Open champion Webb Simpson, 9-time PGA TOUR winner Brandt Snedeker and four-time TOUR winner Kevin Na. 

All three are currently ranked in the Top-50 of the Official World Golf Rankings, with Simpson leading the way at 11^th, followed by Na who sits at 27^th and Snedeker at 46^th. 

Simpson has five career wins on the PGA TOUR including his U.S. Open win at the Olympic Club in 2012.  He’s coming off a strong 2019 season that saw him record two runner-up finishes and six Top 10s to finish 16^th in the final Fed Ex Cup standings.  He also was a member of the winning 2019 President’s Cup team. He has four Top-10’s in nine starts at TPC Scottsdale, including a runner-up finish in 2017 to Hideki Matsuyama that was decided on the fourth playoff hole. 

Na has played well in the WM Phoenix Open throughout his career, making the cut in 13 of 14 starts and finishing in the Top-5 three times that included a T2 in his first appearance in 2005.  He also has recorded two wins in the last calendar year – the 2019 Charles Schwab Challenge in May and the Shriners Hospital for Children Open last October. 

Snedeker has nine career PGA TOUR wins and had a solid 2019 season with six Top-10’s on his way to finishing 24^th in the final Fed Ex Cup standings.  He has made 11 cuts in 12 WM Phoenix Open starts and has finished in the Top-10 four times, including a runner-up finish in 2013. 

Currently the field has 13 players ranked in the Top-50 of the Official World Golf Rankings, led by Jon Rahm who sits 3^rd in the standings.  The other top-ranked players include Xander Schauffele (9), Simpson (11), Gary Woodland (17), Hideki Matsuyama (21), Rickie Fowler (23), Na (27), Sungjae Im (35), Chez Reavie (37), Byeong Hun An (41), Snedeker (46), Bubba Watson (47) and Andrew Putnam (48). 

The field also includes 19 of the Top-30 in the current Fed Ex Cup standings, along with 10 players who finished in the Top-25 in last year’s Fed Ex Cup race. 

A total of 132 players will vie for the $7.3 million purse, the $1,314,000 first-place check and 500 FedExCup points.  PGA TOUR members have until 5 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 24, 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 2020 Waste Management Phoenix Open Presented by The Ak-Chin Indian Community will be held at TPC Scottsdale January 27 – February 2, 2020. “The People’s Open” was recently  named the Tournament of the Year by the PGA TOUR for 2019, an honor that has been awarded four times in the last six years (2014, 2015, 2018, 2019) to help the tournament gain legendary status for being one the most unique events in golf. The 2020 edition will mark the 85^th playing of the event (one of the five oldest events on the PGA TOUR) and the 11^th as the Waste Management Phoenix Open. 

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.  The Thunderbirds raised a record $13.2 million for charity from proceeds from the 2019 WM Phoenix Open and have eclipsed $147 million in charitable giving since its inception in 1932.  For more information on The Thunderbirds or the 2020 Waste Management Phoenix Open, visit www.wmphoenixopen.com.