PGA Tour professional Dylan Wu has publicly criticized his omission from the 2026 WM Phoenix Open field, highlighting perceived unfairness in player exemptions. The tournament, set to begin on February 5 at TPC Scottsdale in Arizona, features a 123-player field but leaves out several fully exempt members, including Wu and Lee Hodges. Wu's comments come amid discussions about the event's unique status within the PGA Tour schedule.
The WM Phoenix Open is scheduled to tee off on February 5, 2026, at the TPC Scottsdale Stadium Course in Scottsdale, Arizona, drawing a competitive 123-player field. However, the recent release of the field list has sparked controversy, particularly from Dylan Wu, who finds himself fifth on the alternate list despite his full exempt status.
Wu expressed his dismay on X in response to a post by golf enthusiast Ron Klos, who questioned why Lee Hodges—with eight top-11 finishes in the last 15 months—was ranked 10th alternate behind lesser-known players like Pontus Nyholm, A.J. Ewart, and Marcelo Rozo. "Agreed. The WMPO is back to a regular full field event and for some reason they’re ‘special’ and the Tour says they’re allowed to be the only full field event that doesn’t include ALL Fully exempt members," Wu wrote. He added, "It’s my 5th season on Tour, 3rd with FULL status and only played once."
Wu's frustration is rooted in his solid 2025 season, where he achieved a tie for fourth at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, a T10 at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, and made 16 cuts in 27 starts. Similarly, Hodges had a strong year with four top-10 finishes and six top-25 results, including a T10 at the Sony Open in Hawaii and a T9 at the Farmers Insurance Open. Hodges carried momentum into 2026 with a T6 at the Sony Open.
The exclusions extend beyond Wu and Hodges. Notable absences include Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Rose, Robert McIntyre, Justin Thomas, Keegan Bradley, Ludvig Aberg, and Russell Henley. This marks a continuation of patterns from the previous year, where most of these players were also missing. For context, Brooks Koepka's last PGA Tour appearance alongside Scottie Scheffler was at the 2022 WM Phoenix Open, after which he joined LIV Golf.
The debate underscores tensions around field compositions for full-field events, with Wu arguing for inclusion of all fully exempt members to ensure fairness.
