images courtesy: Mario Terrana
Preston Summerhays’ already impressive resume just got longer. The JGAA alum (2012-2021) received the first of five available sponsor exemptions to play in the 2022 WM Phoenix Open presented by Taylor Morrison, scheduled for February 7-13 at TPC Scottsdale. The Arizona State freshman will compete in “The People’s Open” as an amateur like fellow Sun Devil Jon Rahm did in 2015, finishing T-5.
“I first started standard bearing at the WM Phoenix Open when I was 10 years old, so this event is like a major championship to me,” Summerhays said. “To be able to compete against the very best players in the world, in this amazing atmosphere, in my own backyard, is a dream come true.”
Summerhays is enjoying a stellar amateur career so far. On the heels of winning the 2019 U.S. Junior Amateur Championship, he competed in the 2020 U.S. Open. Summerhays also became the youngest ever to win the Sunnehanna Amateur (2020), one of the world’s most prestigious amateur golf tournaments, and he played his way into 2021 Barbasol Championship by winning the inaugural Barbasol Junior Championship. He was a member of the 2019 U.S. Junior Presidents Cup team, back-to-back Utah Amateur champion in 2018 and 2019, and a First-Team Rolex Junior All-American.
“Preston is one of the top amateur golfers and an extremely accomplished player, especially for his young age,” said 2022 WM Phoenix Open Tournament Chairman, Dr. Michael Golding. “He has put together a remarkable junior and amateur career and has taken on some of golf’s biggest stages, including the U.S. Open. We are excited to see what he can do at ‘The People’s Open’ in 2022.”
A field of 132 players will vie for the $8.2 million purse, the $1,476,000 first-place check, and 500 FedExCup points. “The People’s Open” has been named the Tournament of the Year by the PGA TOUR four times in the past seven years (2014, 2015, 2018, 2019) to acknowledge the tournament’s legendary status as one the most unique events in golf. The 2022 edition will mark the 87th playing of the event (one of the five oldest events on the PGA TOUR) and the 13th with WM as title sponsor.
Primary benefactors of the JGAA, 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 280 “life” members who have helped the tournament eclipse $165 million in charitable giving since its inception in 1932 (through the 2021 tournament). For more information on The Thunderbirds or the 2022 WM Phoenix Open, visit www.wmphoenixopen.com.
