SCOTTSDALE—Harris English and Webb Simpson both withdrew from the WM Phoenix Open on Wednesday. They will be replaced in the field by Cameron Young and Hayden Buckley.
English enjoyed a career-best year in 2021, winning twice and getting a captain’s pick for the victorious U.S. Ryder Cup team, but has been dealing with a nagging hip injury since last fall.
“Going to fix it this time and not band-aid it,” English, 32, told Golf Digest. “I’m not really sure of a timeline (for a return) yet.”
Simpson, who won this event in 2020, did not provide a reason for his withdrawal but struggled with a neck injury in 2021. The 36-year-old has dropped to world No. 30 after a disappointing season in which he did not make the Ryder Cup team and failed to qualify for the Tour Championship.
Young, 24, is a Wake Forest alum and the son of the head professional at the iconic Sleepy Hollow Country Club in Scarsborough-on-Hudson, N.Y. The recent Korn Ferry Tour graduate enters the week ranked 37th in the FedEx Cup on the strength of a T-2 finish at last fall’s Sanderson Farms Championship.
Buckley, a 25-year-old PGA Tour rookie and Missouri grad, has three top-15 finishes on the season and will tee it up Thursday alongside Jon Rahm and Rickie Fowler.