Waste Management Phoenix Open Preview 2021

Waste Management Phoenix Open Preview 2021

Waste Management Phoenix Open Preview 2021

For a list of Waste Management Phoenix Open Winners follow the link.

Dates: February 1-7, 2021
Where: Scottsdale, Arizona
Course: TPC Scottsdale (71/7,261)
Field size: 132
2020 champion: Webb Simpson
Purse: $7,300,000 ($1,314,000/winner)
FedExCup: 500 points to the winner
Format: 72-hole stroke play

Things to Know

  • Webb Simpson returns in bid to become the third player since 1970 to successfully defend Waste Management Phoenix Open title
  • Five of the top 10 in the Official World Golf Ranking scheduled to compete, led by World No. 2 and Arizona State alum Jon Rahm
  • 2016, 2019 FedExCup Champion Rory McIlroy makes Waste Management Phoenix Open debut
  • World No. 3 Justin Thomas to make seventh straight start at TPC Scottsdale after third-place finishes in 2019 and 2020
  • Special Temporary Member Will Zalatoris comes into the week following a T7 at the Farmers Insurance Open, his fourth top-10 of the season
  • Webb Simpson’s 2020 playoff victory over Tony Finau marked the fourth playoff in the last five years of the event

The Waste Management Phoenix Open and the FedExCup

  • 17th event of the 2020-21 PGA TOUR Season
  • 17 of the top 30 in the FedExCup standings, led by Harris English (3), Xander Schauffele (6) and Justin Thomas (7)
  • 15 of the top 30 in the 2019-20 FedExCup
  • 11 of the 14 winners of the Waste Management Phoenix Open in the FedExCup era have gone on to qualify for the TOUR Championship: Aaron Baddeley (2007), Kenny Perry (2009), Hunter Mahan (2010), Mark Wilson (2011), Phil Mickelson (2013), Brooks Koepka (2015), Hideki Matsuyama (2016, 2017), Gary Woodland (2018), Rickie Fowler (2019) and Webb Simpson (2020)
  • Four FedExCup champions: Billy Horschel (2014), Jordan Spieth (2015), Rory McIlroy (2016, 2019), Justin Thomas (2017)

Current FedExCup standings

Pos.PlayerPoints
1Dustin Johnson1,018
2Patrick Cantlay1,017
3Harris English960
4Viktor Hovland873
5Joaquin Niemann826
6Xander Schauffele791
7Justin Thomas784
8Bryson DeChambeau783
9Stewart Cink737
10Patrick Reed736

Notes On The Field

  • Five of the top 10 in the Official World Golf Ranking: Jon Rahm/2, Justin Thomas/3, Xander Schauffele/4, Rory McIlroy/6, Webb Simpson/9
  • Nine past champions of the Waste Management Phoenix Open, including each of the last six: Webb Simpson (2020), Rickie Fowler (2019), Gary Woodland (2018), Hideki Matsuyama (2016, 2017), Brooks Koepka (2015), Kevin Stadler (2014), Kyle Stanley (2012), Hunter Mahan (2010), J.B. Holmes (2006, 2008)
  • Eight winners in the 2020-21 PGA TOUR Season: Stewart Cink/Safeway Open, Hudson Swafford/Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship, Martin Laird/Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, Brian Gay/Bermuda Championship, Carlos Ortiz/Vivint Houston Open, Robert Streb/The RSM Classic, Harris English/Sentry Tournament of Champions, Si Woo Kim/The American Express

2020 Waste Management Phoenix Open Leaderboard

Pos.PlayerR1R2R3R4Total
1Webb Simpson*71636469267/-17
2Tony Finau69666270267/-17
T3Nate Lashley66676968270/-14
T3Justin Thomas68686965270/-14
T3Bubba Watson69666966270/-14
*won on the first playoff hole

Top Player Notes

Webb Simpson

  • In 2020, defeated Tony Finau on the first playoff hole with a 10’5” birdie putt for his sixth career PGA TOUR victory after forcing a playoff with closing birdies on the 17th and 18th hole
  • Win at TPC Scottsdale marked his fifth top-10 finish in 10 starts and includes a runner-up in 2017
  • Last year’s win marked his fourth straight top-10 finish of the 2019-20 season; went on to win the RBC Heritage in June, totaling eight top-10s en route to a 12th-place finish in the FedExCupHasthree top-10 finishes in seven starts this season; T8/U.S. Open, T10/Masters Tournament, T4/Sony Open in Hawaii
  • With a win this week, would become third player since 1970 and seventh overall to successfully defend Waste Management Phoenix Open title; six to accomplish the feat (World Golf Hall of Fame member = *): Ben Hogan* (1946, 1947), Jimmy DeMaret* (1949, 1950), Lloyd Mangrum* (1952, 1953), Arnold Palmer* (1961, 1962, 1963), Johnny Miller* (1974, 1975) and Hideki Matsuyama (2016, 2017)

Jon Rahm

  • World No. 2 has finished inside the top 10 in each of his last five PGA TOUR starts; T2/2020 ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP @ SHERWOOD, T7/2020 Masters Tournament, T7/2021 Sentry Tournament of Champions, T7/2021 Farmers Insurance Open
  • Has 44 top-10 finishes in 96 TOUR starts
  • Finished no worse than T16 in five prior starts at the Waste Management Phoenix Open; (T5/2015/Amateur, T16/2017, T11/2018, T10/2019, T9/2020)
  • Five-time PGA TOUR winner, including two in the 2019-20 season (the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide, BMW Championship); finished fourth in the 2019-20 FedExCup
  • Four-time All-American at Arizona State and only player to win multiple Ben Hogan Awards (2015 and 2016), given to the NCAA’s top collegiate male golfer

Justin Thomas

  • Enters the week at No. 7 in the FedExCup and No. 3 in the Official World Golf Ranking
  • Making his seventh start in the Waste Management Phoenix Open; T3/2020, 3rd/2019, T17/2018, MC/2017, MC/2016, T17/2015
  • Has collected four top-10 finishes in six starts this season; T8/2020 U.S. Open, T2/2020 ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP @ SHERWOOD, 4TH/2020 Masters Tournament, 3rd/2021 Sentry Tournament of Champions
  • Winningest PGA TOUR player under the age of 30 (13)

Xander Schauffele

  • World No. 4 making fourth straight start in the Waste Management Phoenix Open; T16/2020, T10/2019, T17/2018
  • Seeks his fifth career PGA TOUR title and first since the 2019 Sentry Tournament of Champions
  • San Diego native collected best result in six starts at the Farmers Insurance Open last week with a T2 finish, marking his seventh runner-up since his last victory
  • In six starts this season, owns four top-five finishes; 2nd/THE CJ CUP @ SHADOW CREEK, T2/Farmers Insurance Open, 5th/U.S. Open, T5/Sentry Tournament of Champions

Rory McIlroy

  • World No. 6 making first appearance in the Waste Management Phoenix Open
  • Seeks his 19th career PGA TOUR title and first since the 2019 World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions
  • Two top-10 finishes in five starts this season; T8/U.S. Open, T5/Masters Tournament
  • Comes off a T16 finish at last week’s Farmers Insurance Open

Additional player notes

  • Two-time champion Hideki Matsuyama is making his seventh start in the Waste Management Phoenix Open and has played even-par or better in 24 of 25 career rounds at TPC Scottsdale (only round over par: 74/R2/2020/T16)
  • 24-year-old San Francisco native Will Zalatoris is scheduled to make his 16th PGA TOUR start and 14th as a professional; Last week’s T7 finish at the Farmers Insurance Open marked his fourth top-10 finish in seven starts this season (T5/Shriners Hospitals for Children Open T6/U.S. Open, T7/Farmers Insurance Open, T8/Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship); comes into the week at No. 53 in the Official World Golf Ranking as he seeks to earn his PGA TOUR card for 2020-21 via the non-member FedExCup points list
  • 2006 and 2015 Waste Management Phoenix Open runner-up Ryan Palmer is scheduled to make his 15th start in the event and 13th straight; Last week’s T2 finish at the Farmers Insurance Open marked his third top-five finish in his last four PGA TOUR starts; T4/ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP AT SHERWOOD, 4th/Sentry Tournament of Champions, T2/Farmers Insurance Open
  • 23-year-old Kentucky native, John Augenstein, set to make his fifth start on the PGA TOUR and second as a professional (2021 The American Express/MC); one of two amateurs to make the cut at the 2020 Masters Tournament (T55)

The Waste Management Phoenix Open Preview 2021 is via PGA TOUR

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