See who earned Signature Event starts via Aon Swing 5 at WM Phoenix Open
Pierceson Coody hits 177-yard tee shot to 5 feet, makes birdie on No. 12 at WM Phoenix Open
Written by Jimmy Reinman
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — While the playoff drama at the WM Phoenix Open delivered the roars, another race unfolded quietly, and just as intensely, across the back nine at TPC Scottsdale.
The WM Phoenix Open marked the final stop in the opening stretch of the 2026 PGA TOUR season to determine the first Aon Swing 5, awarding the top-five non-exempt players in FedExCup points earned during this window spots into the next two Signature Events, next week’s AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and The Genesis Invitational the following week.
By Sunday evening, the math was solidified.
Pierceson Coody, Ryo Hisatsune, Jake Knapp, Matt McCarty and Patrick Rodgers secured the five coveted positions. Just outside the line were Sahith Theegala, Andrew Putnam, Michael Thorbjornsen and Nicolai Højgaard.
Here are the full standings following Sunday’s final round:
| Rank | Golfer | FedExCup points |
| 1 | Pierceson Coody | 376.500 |
| 2 | Ryo Hisatsune | 287.125 |
| 3 | Jake Knapp | 257.500 |
| 4 | Matt McCarty | 235.250 |
| 5 | Patrick Rodgers | 234.492 |
| -- | -- | -- |
| 6 | Sahith Theegala | 225.333 |
| 7 | Andrew Putnam | 183.750 |
| 8 | Michael Thorbjornsen | 171.000 |
| 9 | Nicolai Højgaard | 162.300 |
Coody capitalizes on resurgence
Coody claimed the top spot after another top-10 finish in Phoenix capped an outstanding start to his season. The talented Texan stumbled through his 2024 rookie campaign, missing his first five cuts and never recovering. After a year back on the Korn Ferry Tour, however, the former world No. 1 amateur is beginning to realize the potential many expected.
He has opened 2026 with three straight top-20 finishes, including a distant runner-up at the Farmers Insurance Open, where he shot 16-under across four rounds at Torrey Pines, a number that would have won six of the previous seven editions. Though no one was catching Justin Rose that week, Coody’s consistency positioned him perfectly for the Aon Swing 5 race.
He now heads into the early season Signature Events with momentum firmly on his side.
Pierceson Coody hits 172-yard tee shot to 14 feet, sets up birdie on No. 16 at WM Phoenix Open
Hisatsune confirms breakout
Hisatsune finished T10 alongside Coody in Phoenix, mirroring their shared runner-up finish at Torrey Pines, to comfortably lock in second place in the Aon Swing 5 standings.
The 23-year-old narrowly retained his PGA TOUR card last fall. Three months later, he finds himself headed to the TOUR’s two biggest early-season stages. In his third full season, Hisatsune fulfilled a dream Saturday by playing in the final group with idol Hideki Matsuyama.
Ryo Hisatsune sinks 25-foot birdie putt on No. 18 at WM Phoenix Open
The Japanese standout, who earned his card via the DP World Tour after winning Rookie of the Year honors in 2023, has shown flashes in his first two-plus seasons. Until now, those flashes hadn’t translated into Signature Event access. He has played just one Signature Event previously (2025 RBC Heritage).
That changes over the next two weeks.
Knapp secure, McCarty and Rodgers survive
Knapp clinched the third position with a solo eighth-place finish in Scottsdale. Already in the Pebble Beach field via his FedExCup Fall status (63rd), Knapp removes any uncertainty for Riviera as well.
Jake Knapp sinks 6-foot birdie putt on No. 13 at WM Phoenix Open
The final two spots required sweat equity.
McCarty, bolstered by a runner-up finish at The American Express, missed the cut in Phoenix and could only watch projections fluctuate. Rodgers leaned on a third-place finish at the Sony Open and three made cuts this season to narrowly hang on.
Rodgers is no stranger to these pathways. Last season, he used the Aon Next 10 and Aon Swing 5 routes to earn five Signature Event starts, highlighted by a T3 at The Genesis Invitational that vaulted him 85 spots in the FedExCup standings.
Big names come up just short
In normal circumstances, Theegala’s miss would sting most.
After entering Sunday inside projections, the California native, who has rebounded strongly from a neck injury that derailed his 2025 campaign, fell out of the standings with a closing bogey. It was an unfortunate end to a spirited run, but it didn’t go unrewarded. Late Sunday afternoon, Theegala received the final sponsor exemption into Pebble Beach, likely due to his run of T31, T8, T7 and T17 finishes to start the season. He will continue his return to form at the first Signature Event of the year.
Thorbjornsen and Højgaard needed near-runner-up finishes to leap inside the top five, and they flirted briefly with the possibility. Thorbjornsen held the solo lead after an eagle at the par-5 15th before bogeying the infamous 16th and finding water at the drivable 17th en route to a T3 finish. Højgaard narrowly missed a lengthy birdie putt on the 72nd hole that would have added him to the playoff.
