The atmosphere will be more subdued thanks to COVID, but that hasn’t prevented a star-studded field from making the trip to the Arizona desert for this week’s Waste Management Phoenix Open. There will be some fans in the gallery this week, though, as the event is planning to allow fewer than 5,000 people onto the course. They should be treated to some spectacular golf with Rory McIlroy making his first appearance in this tournament and Webb Simpson looking to defend his title. But it’s Jon Rahm who sits atop the odds board as the betting favorite as one of just two players (Justin Thomas) with shorter than 10/1 odds on the opening lines. Visit BookMaker.eu for a complete list of betting odds when you’re ready to place a wager.
Odds to Win Waste Management Phoenix Open at BookMaker.eu
Jon Rahm +650
Justin Thomas +800
Rory McIlroy +1000
Xander Schauffele +1000
Webb Simpson +1600
Daniel Berger +2000
Hideki Matsuyama +2200
Harris English +2500
Sungjae Im +2800
Bubba Watson +3500
Scottie Scheffler +3500
Brooks Koepka +4000
Rickie Fowler +4000
Will Zalatoris +4000
Billy Horschel +5000
Louis Oosthuizen +5000
Matthew Wolf +5000
Ryan Palmer +5000
Gary Woodland +6000
Jason Day +6000
Russell Henley +6000
Sam Burns +6000
Corey Conners +6600
Matt Kuchar +6600
Si Woo Kim +6600
Brendan Steele +8000
Brendon Todd +8000
Brian Harman +8000
Carlos Ortiz +8000
Max Homa +8000
Sebastian Munoz +8000
Adam Long +9000
Cameron Champ +9000
Chris Kirk +9000
Jordan Spieth +9000
Byeong-Hun An +10000
Henrik Norlander +10000
Patton Kizzire +10000
Talor Gooch +10000
Zach Johnson +10000
Odds Analysis
Rickie Fowler +4000
Course history versus recent form. If you believe in the former Fowler is a good play. If not, stay away from the guy whose last top-20 finish was 11 starts ago. Fowler has four career top-5s, including a win at TPC Scottsdale two years ago despite a closing 74. That’s how good he was over the first three rounds when he scored a pair of 64s and a 65. He scored below 70 in 16 of his last 20 rounds on this course, which will hopefully inspire his game.
Hideki Matsuyama +2200
Based on past history alone at this event you have to think Matsuyama will be near the top of the leaderboard on Sunday. And it’s hard to pass on his current price for the outright win. He is coming off a T53 at the Farmers, but it’s his record in the desert that stands out. He won back-to-back trophies in 2016 and 2017, grabbed a runner-up in 2015 and was T4 the year before that. His two-time title defense didn’t go well with an injury forcing him to withdraw, but he’s gone T15-T16 in two follow up visits. What’s not to like about his chances?
Rory McIlroy +1000
I was a little hesitant to back McIlroy at this price since he is making his debut. But it’s golf and the layout isn’t anything that will scare Rory. We haven’t seen a lot of him since the Holiday break, but McIlroy has been busy. And he’s looking like the player who was ranked No. 1 in the world not that long ago. He grabbed a podium finish in Abu Dhabi early last month on the European Tour and followed that with a T16 at the Farmers, though a closing 73 prevented a better showing. His strong play off the tee should help him on this course.
Henrik Norlander +10000
Norlander takes his first crack at TPC Scottsdale doing so with a ton of confidence. After opening with a 73, the Swede went 10-under over the final 54 holes to grab a share of second at Torrey Pines. That came after a T12 at The American Express. It’s been hit or miss for Norlander this season, but dropping a few bucks on him to hit this week will yield a hefty payout.
Xander Schauffele +1000
At some point you’d think Schauffele’s strong run would result in a victory. It hasn’t happened yet, though the X-man extended his season streak of top-20 finishes to six with a T2 at the Farmers, his second runner-up in his last five starts. He’s been as consistent as anybody on Tour and should be played in alternate markets as well, but I’m doubling down on him for an outright victory this week at a lot that’s yielded him three top-20s.
Course: TPC Scottsdale – 7,261 yards, Par 71
The Stadium Course at TPC Scottsdale has hosted the event since 1987 and it is one of the most popular stops on Tour. The course plays just under 7,300 yards and given some altitude in the desert it typically scores well. We’ve seen winning numbers consistently between 14- and 18-under with a few outliers. Phil Mickelson carded a course record 28-under in 2013. The conditions are ripe for heavy hitters and we’ll see plenty of drivers this week, allowing players to attack the greens with little resistance. Early tee times are at a disadvantage given the moisture on the course. When the track dries out players can attack the fairways getting lengthy rolls. The par-3 16th is the signature hole on the layout, though the usual raucous gallery will be limited. Up to that point the course is rather bland.
TV Coverage: NBC, Golf Channel
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