Stricker & Johnson Committ to 2010 Waste Management Phoenix Open
8. February 2010 by admin.
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Steve Stricker, a seven-time winner on the PGA TOUR and the world’s 3rd-ranked golfer; and Zach Johnson, the 2007 Masters champ and the 23rd-ranked golfer in the world, are among the latest to commit to the 2010 Waste Management Phoenix Open, which will be played Feb. 22-28 at the TPC Scottsdale.
Other commitments received include four-time PGA TOUR winner Chad Campbell and two-time winner Paul Goydos.
With the tournament date a month later this year, tournament officials are expecting one of the strongest fields in years. To date, 16 of the top-30 and 92 of the top-125 money leaders from the 2009 season have committed. A field of 144 players will vie for the $6 million purse, the $1,080,000 first place check and highly-coveted FedEx Cup points.
Phil Mickelson (No. 3) and Stricker (No. 2) are the highest ranked players on the Official World Golf Ranking currently in the field. Other top-ranked players who have committed include Kenny Perry (13th), Robert Allenby (15th), Sean O’Hair (16th), 2009 U.S. Open winner Lucas Glover (22nd), Johnson (23rd), Camilo Villegas (25th), Hunter Mahan (28th) and Nick Watney (29th).
PGA TOUR members have until 5 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 19, 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.
Other notables to commit include three-time Phoenix Open champion Mark Calcavecchia, 12-time PGA TOUR winner Justin Leonard, 12-time PGA TOUR winner David Toms, former University of Arizona golfer Rory Sabbatini; eight-time PGA TOUR winner Stuart Appleby, 2003 British Open champion Ben Curtis and 2009 Nationwide Tour Player of the Year Michael Sim.
Perry (2009), J.B. Holmes (2008, 2006), Aaron Baddeley (2007), Mickelson (2005 and 1996), Rocco Mediate (1999), Jesper Parnevik (1998) and Lee Janzen (1993) join Calcavecchia as the other former FBR/Phoenix Open champions in the field thus far.
A number of local golfers also have committed including Michael Allen, Ricky Barnes, Pat Perez, Ted Purdy, Jeff Quinney, Chez Reavie and Kevin Streelman.
Additionally, four of eight sponsor exemptions have been handed out to Billy Mayfair, Rickie Fowler, Jonathan Kaye and Mediate.
The Waste Management Phoenix Open will be played February 22 – 28, 2010, at the TPC Scottsdale. The tournament host Thunderbirds have raised more than $65.9 million for charities, with more than $37.9 million generated since 2004. The 2010 edition will mark the 75th playing of the event, making it one of the five oldest events on the PGA TOUR (not including the major championships). Title sponsor Waste Management, Inc., based in Houston, Texas, is the leading provider of comprehensive waste management services in North America. Through its subsidiaries, the company provides collection, transfer, recycling and resource recovery, and disposal services. It is also a leading developer, operator and owner of waste-to-energy and landfill gas-to-energy facilities in the United States. The company’s customers include residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers throughout North America. For more information on Waste Management visit wm.com or thinkgreen.com. For more information on the Waste Management Phoenix Open, visit wmphoenixopen.com.
