Andrew “Beef” Johnston, Mark Wilson receives first Sponsor Exemptions to 2017 Waste Management Phoenix Open presented by the Ak-Chin Indian Community

Tournament Chairman Andy Markham announced that 2011 Waste Management Phoenix Open champion Mark Wilson and Andrew “Beef” Johnston will receive two of the five available sponsor exemptions for the upcoming PGA TOUR tournament, scheduled to be played January 31 – February 5 at TPC Scottsdale. 

A five-time PGA TOUR winner, Wilson played in 21 events in 2016, earning four Top-25 finishes that included a T-13 at the Barracuda Championship. Wilson defeated Jason Dufner in a playoff at TPC Scottsdale in 2011, and has played in nine straight WM Phoenix Opens dating back to 2008. 

Johnston currently sits 86th in the Official World Golf Ranking, and has become popular in the golf circles following an outstanding 2016 campaign that included an eighth place finish at The Open Championship at Royal Troon. Johnston split time between the PGA TOUR, the European Tour and the Web.com Tour in 2016, and earned his PGA TOUR card for 2016-17 by finishing 21st in the Web.com Tour finals. He played in four PGA TOUR events and 25 European Tour events, where he earned four Top-10 finishes that included his first European Tour victory at the Real Club Valderrama Open de Espana. 

“Sponsor exemptions are a great way to support the great champions of our tournament, along with giving young up-and-comers an opportunity,” Markham said. “Mark is a great supporter of our event and Beef is a rising star in the game of golf. We are thrilled to have both of them in our field for 2017.” 

Markham and The Thunderbirds have a total of five exemptions to handout for the 2017 Waste Management Phoenix Open. The remaining three exemptions will be announced in the coming weeks leading up to the tournament.