Louis Oosthuizen, Zach Johnson, Webb Simpson Among Latest Commitments to 2018 Waste Management Phoenix Open

PHOENIX, Ariz. – Former Open Championship winner Louis Oosthuizen, two-time Major winner Zach Johnson and 2017 WM Phoenix Open runner up and 2012 U.S. Open Champion Webb Simpson are among the latest players to commit to the 2018 Waste Management Phoenix Open Presented by Ak-Chin Indian Community, set to tee it up January 29-February 4 at TPC Scottsdale. A field of 132 players will vie for the $6.9 million purse, the $1,242,000 first-place check and 500 FedExCup points.

Additionally, former WM Phoenix Open champion Aaron Baddeley (2007) has committed to play.

“The field is beginning to take shape as we get into the weeks leading up to the tournament, and it looks to be one of our strongest ever,” said Tournament Chairman Carlos Sugich.

The 2018 field now includes 19 of the Top-50 players in the Official World Golf Rankings. Jordan Spieth (2) is the highest-ranked player currently in the field, which features four of the Top-5, six of the Top-10 and 10 of the Top-25 in the OWGR. Other ranked players in the field include Jon Rahm (3), Justin Thomas (4), Hideki Matsuyama (5), Rickie Fowler (7), Brooks Koepka (8), Alex Noren (19), Francesco Molinari (21), Charley Hoffman (22), Oosthuizen (24), Xander Schauffele (26), Kevin Chappell (32), Si-Woo Kim (37), Phil Mickelson (40), Tony Finau (43), Simpson (44), Steele (45), Russell Henley (46) and Zach Johnson (50).

The field also includes nine players who have combined to win 18 Major championships including Oosthuizen (1), Retief Goosen (2), Johnson (2), Brooks Koepka (1), Phil Mickelson (5), Webb Simpson (1), Jordan Spieth (3), Justin Thomas (1) and Bubba Watson (2).

Oosthuizen is coming off a 2017 campaign in which he recorded four Top-10 finishes including a third place finish at the 2017 WM Phoenix Open and a T2 finish at THE PLAYERS Championship.

Johnson, the 2007 Masters champion and 2015 Open Championship winner, has represented the U.S. in four Ryder Cups, four Presidents Cups and has accumulated 12 professional victories in his career.

Simpson, who lost to Hideki Matsuyama in a four-hole playoff in 2017, has accrued four PGA TOUR victories in his 10-year professional career including the 2012 U.S. Open at the Olympic Club in San Francisco.

With the addition of Baddeley (2007) the field has four former champions in the field. The others include Matsuyama (2016, 2017), Koepka (2015) and Mickelson (1996, 2005 and 2013).

PGA TOUR members have until 5 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 26, 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 2018 Waste Management Phoenix Open Presented by Ak-Chin Indian Community will be held at TPC Scottsdale January 29 – February 4, 2018. “The People’s 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 2017 tournament broke four attendance records, including a PGA TOUR record 655,434 fans for the week. The 2018 edition will mark the 83rd playing of the event (one of the five oldest events on the PGA TOUR) and the ninth 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 250 “life” members. In 2017 The Thunderbirds raised a record $10.1 million for charity from proceeds from last year’s tournament and have eclipsed $122 million in charitable giving since its inception in 1932. For more information on The Thunderbirds, visit www.thunderbirdscharities.org.