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SCOTTSDALE, AZ — From a wild weather event in Monterey, we head southeast to the desert for more…rain? Yes, the PGA TOUR better pack an umbrella for the start of the WM Phoenix Open. TPC Scottsdale is the well-known venue for 500,000 fans who will travel to Phoenix for the annual party in the desert. Only the Summer Olympics has more attendees than the WMPO. We all know what weather did to the finish at Pebble Beach — let’s hope this week runs a little smoother.
Let’s take a moment and break down the format for this annual tournament, as well as some winning traits from TPC Scottsdale.
- A whopping 132 players will be cut after 36 holes to the top 65 and ties.
- The field features 10 of the top 20 in the OWGR, all competing for $8.8 million and $1.584 million for first place.
- Eight of the last nine WMPO winners are major champions.
- Don’t mistake the TPC title for a straight birdiefest. Solid ball-strikers win here.
- Over the last 10 editions of the WMPO, the average winning score has been 17 under par, and eight of the past 16 years have ended with extra holes in a playoff.
More proof great players win in Scottsdale is the average winner’s pre-tournament odds. Over the past decade, only one winner has possessed odds longer than +5000 when the tournament started. Six of the last 10 winners held odds of +2800 or shorter! To select a pre-tournament winner, we must pay attention to what the course calls for in a player.
Our best bet last week, Mav McNealy fulfilled his role finishing T39 and inside the top 40! For full coverage of the WM Phoenix Open, subscribe to our Read The Line newsletter (it’s free!) and follow us on Twitter!
Let’s get to our best bets and top props for the WMPO, then list the live outright odds and go into more detail about TPC Scottsdale.
For a complete list of my betting predictions covering the WM Phoenix Open winners, placements, and H2H matchups, please go to Read The Line and subscribe.
Waste Management Phoenix Open: Expert picks and predictions
Best bet to win: Justin Thomas (+1000 on BetMGM)
Scottie Scheffler is the betting favorite this week in Scottsdale, but there’s no doubt Justin Thomas is the fan favorite to win. JT’s ball-striking has been impeccable since September, and the results succinctly display it. He has logged two starts in the top 6 this year and he was second in strokes gained tee-to-green at the AT&T. When JT was winning majors, he led with excellent approach play. That iron-game radar is back, which will soon lead him to another trip to the winner’s circle.
Take Jordan Spieth over Sungjae Im H2H (-130 BetMGM)
Both of these players have a successful track record at Scottsdale. As we watch the odds move this week, Jordan Spieth’s number continues to tumble, while Sungjae Im’s odds are climbing. What the books feel is what I see. Jordan was third at the Sentry and earned a top-10 ball-striking week at Pebble Beach. Sungjae’s last two starts were a missed cut at Farmers and T66 in an 80-man field in the AT&T. Follow the board and take Spieth to build on his success and Im to continue searching for answers.
Best bet of the week: Eric Cole to finish in the top 20 (+200 on BetMGM)
Eric Cole plays every week and consistently hits the top-20 market. His strength is mid-iron approach play and putting, two keys for TPC Scottsdale that will bolster his current record of seven top-20 finishes in his last 10 starts. Tail Cole and take home another best bet of the week.
Waste Management Phoenix Open odds to win
Here are the latest golf odds for the Waste Management Phoenix Open courtesy of BetMGM.
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| Golfer | Odds |
| Scottie Scheffler | +500 |
| Justin Thomas | +1000 |
| Jordan Spieth | +1600 |
| Max Homa | +1600 |
| Sam Burns | +1600 |
| Byeong Hun An | +2800 |
| Sungjae Im | +2800 |
| Wyndham Clark | +2800 |
| Cameron Young | +3300 |
| J.T. Poston | +3300 |
| Matt Fitzpatrick | +3300 |
| Min Woo Lee | +3300 |
| Sahith Theegala | +3300 |
| Eric Cole | +4000 |
| Tom Kim | +4000 |
| Adam Hadwin | +5000 |
| Adam Scott | +5000 |
| Beau Hossler | +5000 |
| Hideki Matsuyama | +5000 |
| Si Woo Kim | +5000 |
| Corey Conners | +5500 |
| Rickie Fowler | +5500 |
| Akshay Bhatia | +6600 |
| Alex Noren | +6600 |
| Brian Harman | +6600 |
| Denny McCarthy | +6600 |
| Thomas Detrty | +6600 |
| Emiliano Grillo | +6600 |
| Kurt Kitayama | +6600 |
| Shane Lowry | +6600 |
| Andrew Putnam | +8000 |
| Christiaan Bezuidenhout | +8000 |
| Kevin Yu | +8000 |
| Mark Hubbard | +8000 |
| Tom Hoge | +8000 |
| Harris English | +9000 |
| Keith Mitchell | +9000 |
| Luke List | +9000 |
| Taylor Montgomery | +9000 |
| Aaron Rai | +10000 |
| Adam Schenk | +10000 |
| Billy Horschel | +10000 |
| Brendon Todd | +10000 |
| Daniel Berger | +10000 |
| Erik van Rooyen | +10000 |
| Nick Taylor | +10000 |
| Ryan Fox | +10000 |
| Adam Svensson | +12500 |
| Austin Eckroat | +12500 |
| Lucas Glover | +12500 |
Read More: Waste Management Phoenix Open expert picks and predictions with our PGA pro’s