One of the highlights of the PGA Tour every year is the trip to Phoenix for the Waste Management Open! The famous Par 3 16th always provides some fantastic moments and we are hoping it will again in 2021! Check out our full preview and betting tips for the Waste Management Phoenix Open below.
Waste Management Phoenix Open Betting Tips
It was a solid weekend last week at the Farmers Insurance Open. Patrick Reed was in the headlines again after some troubles with rulings but he held out for a six stroke win. Our top pick, Marc Leishman, saluted for a comfortable top 30 at odds of $2.10 and we'll be hunting more winners this week as we head to Phoenix for one of the best PGA Tour events of the year, the Waste Management Open.
The Field
The party atmosphere of the Phoenix Open and the large prize-pool generally attracts a talented field and this season is no different. Four of the top 10 ranked players in the world in Jon Rahm, Justin Thomas, Xander Schauffele and Rory McIlroy will headline the field, none of which have won the tournament before. Past winners of the Waste Management Phoenix Open who will be looking to add another trophy this week include Webb Simpson, Rickie Fowler, Gary Woodland, Hideki Matsuyama and Brooks Koepka.
For Rory McIlroy, it will be the first time that he has played in Phoenix, and he'll be looking to carry over some good form that he has shown in Dubai and at the Farmers Insurance over the past two weeks. Rahm, who is an Arizona State alum, should feel right at home in Phoenix and hasn't tried to downplay the fact that this tournament is high on his priority list. Three young and exciting players received sponsors exemptions to the tournament, in Will Zalatoris, Davis Riley and John Augestein.
The Course
TPC Scottsdale is dubbed 'The Greatest Show on Grass' and the tournament annually attracts over 500,000 people to the stands. This year, however, just 5,000 people will be permitted into the venue each day due to COVID-19 protocols. The course is 7,261 yards, plays as a Par 71and was designed by Tom Weiskopf and Jay Morrish. The highlight of the course annually is the stadium hole Par 3 16th that has provided some fantastic moments over the years.
While the stadium hole won't be as rowdy this year due to the limited participants, there should still be some interesting moments play out on the Par 3 hole. The courses other features should suit the long hitters slightly this weekend, as the drivable Par 4 17th and the Par 5 15th both hold advantage for the bombers off the tee.
Betting Tips
Xander Schauffele
Cant get enough of Xander for my best bet this weekend. The youngster is arguably the most consistent golfer in the world at the moment and has risen all the way to No.4 on the back of a string of high placings. His finishes this PGA Tour season have been 5th at the U.S. Open, 2nd at the CJ Cup, T17 at both the ZOZO and the Masters, T5 at the Tournament of Champions and T2 at the Farmers Insurance on the weekend. I feel like a win can't be far away for Schauffele and he has some solid finishes at Scottsdale, placing T17, T10 an T16 in his three trips there.
Gary Woodland
If you're hunting some more value this week, look no further than Gary Woodland. The U.S. Open champion has won before at TPC Scottsdale, taking out the title in 2018 after shooting 67, 68, 67 and 64 to finish 18 under par and win in a playoff over Chez Reavie. Woodland has played int he Phoenix Open on 11 different occassions, finishing in the top 10 three times and making the cut nine times. Woodland is a long hitter and plays balls into the wind really well, which has proven to be crucial over the years at Scottsdale.
