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Spieth, Smith join Waste Management Phoenix Open field

Posted 1/16/20

Tournament Chairman Tim Woods announced Thursday, Jan. 16 three-time major champion Jordan Spieth is the latest golfer to commit to play in the 2020 Waste Management Phoenix Open, which will tee it up Jan. 27 to Feb. 2 at TPC Scottsdale.

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Spieth, Smith join Waste Management Phoenix Open field

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Tournament Chairman Tim Woods announced Thursday, Jan. 16 three-time major champion Jordan Spieth is the latest golfer to commit to play in the 2020 Waste Management Phoenix Open, which will tee it up Jan. 27 to Feb. 2 at TPC Scottsdale.

Additionally, Cameron Smith, who sits 31st in the Official World Golf Rankings and is coming off a win at the Sony Open in Hawaii, also committed to play in the tournament, according to a press release.

Mr. Spieth has racked up 11 PGA Tour victories since he turned pro in 2012, including his three major wins before his 24th birthday. One year removed from college in 2013, Mr. Spieth was named the PGA Tour Rookie of the Year thanks to a win at the John Deere Classic and three runner-up finishes.

He earned the No. 1 spot in the Official World Golf Rankings for 26 weeks in 2015 where he also won five times including two major wins (Masters and U.S. Open) and a second-place finish at the PGA Championship en route to a FedExCup Championship and PGA TOUR Player of the Year honors.

In 2017, Mr. Spieth picked up his third Major victory at the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale to go along with two other victories that year (AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, Travelers Championship).

He has been a member of three U.S. Presidents Cup teams and two U.S. Ryder Cup teams and is ranked No. 43 in the Official World Golf Rankings. He has two top 10 finishes in three Phoenix Open appearances, finishing tied for seventh in 2015 and tied for ninth in 2017.

Mr. Smith is coming off a win at the Sony Open in Hawaii where he won a sudden-death playoff over Brendan Steele for his first individual victory on the PGA TOUR.

His other win on the PGA Tour also came via sudden-death playoff at the 2017 Zurich Classic with playing partner Jonas Blixt. Mr. Smith has two victories on the European Tour --- back-to-back victories at the Australian PGA Championship (2017, 2018).

The field has 16 players ranked in the top 50 of the Official World Golf Rankings, led by Jon Rahm who sits third in the standings. The other top-ranked players include Justin Thomas (No. 4), Xander Schauffele (No. 8), Webb Simpson (No. 11), Gary Woodland (No. 14), Bryson DeChambeau (No. 16), Hideki Matsuyama (No. 21), Rickie Fowler (No. 22), Kevin Na (No. 27), Mr. Smith (No. 31), Sungjae Im (No. 35), Billy Horschel (No. 36), Chez Reavie (No. 37), Mr. Spieth (No. 43), Byeong Hun An (No. 44) and Brandt Snedeker (No. 47).

The field also includes 21 of the Top-30 in the FedExCup standings, along with 13 players who finished in the top 25 in last year’s FedExCup 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. 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 tournament.