The First Look: Farmers Insurance Open

The PGA TOUR uses a standardized system for determining event fields, based off the current season’s Priority Ranking while also including additional exemption and qualifying categories. Field sizes can vary by event, as can the number of event-specific exemptions. Fully exempt PGA TOUR members are guaranteed entry into all full-field events, with various conditional categories subject to periodic reshuffles based upon FedExCup Points accrued throughout the season. Categories with ‘reshuffle’ notation indicate that a reshuffle period has occurred. How the field qualified for the WM Phoenix Open as of 2/4/2022: Check here for updates. Winner – PGA/U.S. Open Championship (five-year exemption) Brooks Koepka Jon Rahm Justin Thomas Jimmy Walker Gary Woodland Winner of THE PLAYERS Championship prior to 1996 Si Woo Kim Webb Simpson Winner of Masters Tournament (five-year exemption) Hideki Matsuyama Winner of The Open (five-year exemption) Francesco Molinari Jordan Spieth Winner of World Golf Championships event (three-year exemption) Abraham Ancer Billy Horschel Kevin Kisner Xander Schauffele Bubba Watson Winner of Arnold Palmer Invitational, Memorial Tournament and Genesis Invitational (three-year exemption) Patrick Cantlay Max Homa Adam Scott PGA TOUR tournament winner (two-year exemption) Daniel Berger Sam Burns Stewart Cink Corey Conners Joel Dahmen Cam Davis Tyler Duncan Harris English Tony Finau Rickie Fowler Dylan Frittelli Brian Gay Lucas Glover Talor Gooch Branden Grace Lanto Griffin Lucas Herbert Garrick Higgo Viktor Hovland Charles Howell III Matt Jones Sung Kang Patton Kizzire Matt Kuchar Martin Laird Andrew Landry Nate Lashley K.H. Lee Luke List Adam Long Graeme McDowell Keith Mitchell Sebastián Muñoz Carlos Ortiz C.T. Pan J.T. Poston Seamus Power Chez Reavie Robert Streb Hudson Swafford Nick Taylor Michael Thompson Brendon Todd Martin Trainer Kevin Tway Career Money Exemption Luke Donald Bill Haas Rory Sabbatini Nick Watney * Sponsor’s exemption (Korn Ferry Tour Finals) Sahith Theegala Sponsor’s exemption (members not otherwise exempt) Jason Dufner Sponsors Exemptions (Unrestricted) Austin Eckroat Patrick Rodgers Preston Summerhays PGA Section Champion\Player of the Year Craig Hocknull Top 125 on prior season’s FedExCup Louis Oosthuizen Scottie Scheffler Charley Hoffman Alex Noren Keegan Bradley Brian Harman Harold Varner III Aaron Wise Tom Hoge Russell Henley Maverick McNealy Emiliano Grillo Chris Kirk Kevin Streelman Harry Higgs Matt Fitzpatrick Troy Merritt Pat Perez Andrew Putnam Doug Ghim Brandon Hagy Peter Malnati Wyndham Clark Adam Schenk Kramer Hickok Brian Stuard Henrik Norlander Roger Sloan Brandt Snedeker Hank Lebioda Tyler McCumber Denny McCarthy Adam Hadwin Brendan Steele Sepp Straka James Hahn Zach Johnson Russell Knox Matt Wallace Sam Ryder Matthew NeSmith Scott Piercy Kyle Stanley Anirban Lahiri Brice Garnett Scott Stallings Chesson Hadley # Major medical extension Danny Lee Kevin Chappell Ryan Moore William McGirt Wesley Bryan Seung-Yul Noh Kelly Kraft Korn Ferry Tour Points winners (The 25 and The Finals 25) Stephan Jaeger Joseph Bramlett * = If all prior year Korn Ferry Tour graduates are eligible for event, exemptions become unrestricted # = Latest medical extension information can be found here. $ = Category breakdown can be found here.

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NEW YORK – Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) today announced the return of the Morgan Stanley Eagles for Impact Challenge at THE PLAYERS Championship. For every eagle made throughout the tournament, Morgan Stanley will donate 1,500 books to Book Trust, a national early literacy non profit that tackles generational poverty by inspiring kids’ passion for reading. The firm will be tracking eagles made this week at THE PLAYERS Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida with the goal of providing 75,000 books to students across the country. Justin Rose, Morgan Stanley Brand Ambassador and a 10-time PGA TOUR champion, will match Morgan Stanley’s commitment to Book Trust by donating 1,500 books for every eagle he personally makes throughout the tournament.   “Building upon the success of the 2018 challenge, where we donated over 96,000 books to students across the country, we are excited to return as a Proud Partner of THE PLAYERS with year three of the Eagles for Impact Challenge,â€� said Audrey Choi, Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Sustainability Officer, Morgan Stanley. “At Morgan Stanley, we are committed to giving back in the local communities where we live and work and are excited to celebrate great play at THE PLAYERS this year by providing children in need with the opportunity to choose, own and love their own books.â€� “I am proud to be back at THE PLAYERS with Morgan Stanley to support a cause we both are passionate about – giving back to youth-related charities,â€� said Justin Rose, PGA TOUR Professional. “Through the Morgan Stanley Eagles for Impact Challenge, we are making a tangible difference in young students’ lives by creating a passion for reading and learning that they will carry with them moving forward.â€� Book Trust uniquely delivers choice and ownership of books to children; increasing literacy, inspiring a joy of reading, and fostering life-long learning. This year Book Trust will deliver 1 million books to 57,000 kids in 21 states. “We are grateful and excited to be returning for a second year as Morgan Stanley’s Eagles for Impact charity partner at THE PLAYERS Championship,â€� said Tiffany Kuehner, Book Trust’s President and CEO. “We share Morgan Stanley’s commitment to giving back and providing all children with the tools necessary for a bright and healthy future. It’s partners like Morgan Stanley and Justin Rose who make our work each day possible and who inspire others to become involved in this important mission.â€� As a Proud Partner of THE PLAYERS, Morgan Stanley will provide multiple opportunities to follow along as eagles are made, including: Broadcasting the entire tournament on the Morgan Stanley Headquarters building signage in the heart of Times Square. The nearly 350,000 pedestrians in Times Square on any given day will be able to watch the live tournament broadcast Thursday – Sunday, view a live tournament leaderboard and get real-time updates on the of eagles made and total books donated. At TPC Sawgrass, fans will be able to join in on the action at the Morgan Stanley Eagles for Impact tent to take a swing in a Topgolf simulator and pose for an augmented reality photo featuring Morgan Stanley Brand Ambassador Justin Rose. Golf fans will be able to follow along as eagles are made using #EagleUp and visiting www.MorganStanley.com/EagleUp. “Morgan Stanley’s Eagles for Impact Challenge at THE PLAYERS exemplifies their continuous commitment to giving back to children in need and promoting youth education, a key charitable pillar of this tournament,â€� said Jared Rice, Executive Director of THE PLAYERS. “We are honored to call Morgan Stanley a Proud Partner of THE PLAYERS, and we look forward to continuing the initiative this year, which celebrates excellent play on the course while also having a positive impact off the course on students’ education and future learning.â€� Morgan Stanley employees around the country will also be doing their part in support of Book Trust, by volunteering at Book Trust events, providing children with the opportunity to choose and take home books supplying the basic foundation for a bright future. Prior to THE PLAYERS, Morgan Stanley employees held a Feed the Read celebration with first graders at Mayport Elementary in Jacksonville, FL, handing out books and reading with students. THE PLAYERS will air Thursday and Friday on Golf Channel from 1 p.m.-7 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday on NBC—2 p.m.-7 p.m. on Saturday and 1 p.m.-6 p.m. on Sunday. Visit www.MorganStanley.com/EagleUp to learn more and follow along on social using #EagleUp and #THEPLAYERS. For more information about THE PLAYERS, visit www.theplayers.com.

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Webb Simpson re-entered the winner’s circle at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. It is his sixth PGA TOUR title and first in nearly two years. He’s had several close calls since June, becoming one of the game’s most consistent players in that time. Simpson moved to No. 2 in the FedExCup and seventh in the world ranking with his win. Let’s take a closer look at Simpson’s play at TPC Scottsdale and his success over the past few months. 1. UNSTOPPABLE SIMPSON: Simpson has five kids at home, so he has to be efficient with his travel. He’s made the most of his trips this season. His worst finish in four starts is seventh. Sunday’s win was his third consecutive top-three finish. In his last three starts, only two players have beaten him over the course of 72 holes. That was at the Sony Open in Hawaii, where he finished one shot out of the playoff between Cameron Smith and Brendan Steele. Simpson lost a playoff to Tyler Duncan at The RSM Classic and won Sunday’s playoff with Tony Finau at TPC Scottsdale. 2. ON THE PODIUM: Simpson has been knocking on the door since last June, when he finished runner-up to Rory McIlroy at the RBC Canadian Open. They shared the lead at the start of the final round but McIlroy blitzed the field with a Sunday 61. Simpson shot a final-round 64 to finish runner-up to Brooks Koepka at the World Golf Championships-FedEx St. Jude Invitational, then finished second to J.T. Poston at the Wyndham Championship, where Poston became the first player since Lee Trevino to win while going bogey-free over 72 holes. The Waste Management Phoenix Open was Simpson’s sixth top-three finish on the PGA TOUR since June 1, more than anyone else in that span. 3. COMEBACK TRAIL: Simpson was 10 shots off the lead, and outside the cut line, after shooting 71 in the first round of the Waste Management Phoenix Open. He responded with rounds of 63 and 64 to get into Sunday’s final group. Simpson has a knack for going low. Since the start of last season, no one has shot 65 or lower at a higher rate, and it’s not even close. 4. SMALL BALL: This victory vaulted Simpson into the top 10 of the world ranking. Simpson is an outlier among that group because of his lack of length. Only one other player in the top 10 of the world ranking averaged less than 300 yards off the tee last season: Tiger Woods. Woods was still eight yards longer than Simpson. Here’s a look at how Simpson’s driving distance stats stack up against the average of the other nine players in the top 10 of the world ranking: Simpon’s ball-striking is elite. He doesn’t gain many strokes off the tee because of his lack of length, but he ranks in the top 10 of several key ball-striking stats this season. Simpson isn’t just a beneficiary of a small sample size, either. He ranked 114th in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee last season while ranking 14th in Strokes Gained: Approach and 11th in Strokes Gained Putting. In Phoenix, Simpson ranked in the top 10 of fairways hit (third), Strokes Gained: Approach (fourth) and greens hit (sixth). Simpson’s stats were helped by his ace on the 12th hole in the third round. Simpson became the 20th player since 1983 to make a hole-in-one in his victory. Only one player has done it multiple times: Jim Furyk (2007 RBC Canadian Open, 2002 Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide). 5. IN THE CLUTCH: There was a little poetic justice to Simpson’s clutch finish in Scottsdale. He birdied the final two holes to force a playoff with Tony Finau. Simpson started his frenetic finish with a two-putt after driving the 17th green, then holed a 17-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole. He won with a birdie on the first extra hole. At this season’s RSM Classic, Tyler Duncan birdied the final two holes to force a playoff with Simpson. Duncan holed a 25-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole, then beat Simpson with a birdie on the second hole of sudden death. Duncan was the ninth player in the ShotLink era (since 2003) to make birdie or better on his last two holes and then win in a playoff. Now Simpson is the 10th player to achieve that feat.

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