Sahith Theegala battles for Signature Event start, spots to be decided Sunday at WM Phoenix Open
Sahith Theegala holes 43-foot birdie putt on No. 7 at WM Phoenix Open
Written by Jimmy Reinman
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Hideki Matsuyama will try to fend off a crowded, star-studded leaderboard Sunday in pursuit of a third WM Phoenix Open title. But just as compelling is a second race unfolding behind him in the Arizona desert.
The Aon Swing 5 standings, which award the top five players through the first portion of the 2026 PGA TOUR season access into the first two Signature Events, the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and The Genesis Invitational, will be finalized at TPC Scottsdale. With the WM Phoenix Open marking the final event of this opening stretch, the margins are razor-thin.
Two players have all but secured their spots.
Ryo Hisatsune, who played alongside countryman Matsuyama in Saturday’s final group, sits one shot off the lead at 12-under. Pierceson Coody is three back at 9-under after another strong week. Both entered Sunday projected comfortably inside the top five thanks to consistent early-season form.
Behind them, the race tightens considerably.
Jake Knapp (11-under), Sahith Theegala (8-under) and Patrick Rodgers (4-under) are all in position to make a move. Nicolai Højgaard, just one off the tournament lead, looms as a potential disruptor, especially if he were to capture his first TOUR victory Sunday.
Let’s take a look at the projected Aon Swing 5 standings entering the final round:
1. Ryo Hisatsune — 400.875
2. Pierceson Coody — 356.5
3. Jake Knapp — 264.167
4. Patrick Rodgers — 244.792
5. Sahith Theegala — 242.733
6. Matt McCarty — 235.25
7. Nicolai Højgaard — 221.05
Matt McCarty missed the cut and cannot improve his total, though he remains within striking distance should players ahead of him falter.
Knapp’s situation adds an extra wrinkle. He already secured a spot in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am through his FedExCup Fall finish (63rd), which was enough to earn entry into the expanded 80-player field. Should Knapp finish inside the Aon Swing 5, the list will not extend to the player who finishes sixth.
Theegala may be the most intriguing storyline of all.
After finishing 146th in the 2025 FedExCup Fall standings, he entered this season in the final year of his winner’s exemption and searching for form following a neck injury that derailed his campaign last year. Instead, he has surged back into relevance with finishes of T31, T8 and T7 to begin the year, entering the WM Phoenix Open as the second-most popular betting choice behind Scottie Scheffler.
His week has been uneven, with opening and third rounds of 70 surrounding a Friday 65, but at T16 and 8-under, he remains firmly in the hunt.
“I’m over-cautious about trying to stay healthy,” Theegala said. “I get up a little more careful in the mornings and just a little more careful about what I’m doing on a day-to-day basis. There is nothing I love more than playing golf, and being injured kind of robbed me of the fun I had during golf.”
Sahith Theegala on his return from injury, impact it had on golf swing
“So just playing healthy, not going to take it for granted. One foot in front of the other and stay that way. It’s a lot of discipline stuff. Sometimes bad luck happens. Just got to do what I can do to stay that way.”
By late Sunday afternoon, five players will have locked up entry into two of the TOUR’s biggest early-season events. And at “The People’s Open,” the pressure extends well beyond the tournament trophy.
