WM Phoenix Open: PGA Tour Betting Odds
Jon Rahm and Rory McIlroy are favoured on the golf odds.
The Phoenix Open already was known as the biggest party scene in golf, but it should truly be bonkers opposite the Super Bowl – this writer is a bit surprised that the tournament wasn’t moved to Wednesday-Saturday this year but presumably the final round Sunday in Scottsdale will start earlier to ensure it is completed well before the Chiefs and Eagles kick off around 6:30 p.m. ET from Glendale. When the Super Bowl in 1996 was held in Tempe, the tournament did start Wednesday.
“It’s a great time to be in Phoenix right now,” said Todd Sanders, President and CEO of the Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce. He projected around $1 billion (US) of economic impact from the Super Bowl and this tournament, which always boasts the largest attendance on the Tour schedule.
In order to keep more golfers from leaving for the LIV series, the PGA Tour upgraded a few events to “elevated” status, and this is one of them with a purse now at $20 million (US). Thus, it’s the best field of 2023 so far.
TPC Scottsdale’s Stadium Course is the host, a par 71 at around 7,260 yards. The par-3 16th hole, one of the shortest on Tour at 163 yards and nicknamed “The Coliseum,” is the by far the rowdiest hole on the Tour because that’s where most of the (drunk) fans congregate. The 16th is the first hole on the Tour completely surrounded by grandstands and skyboxes. Sam Ryder made a hole-in-one on the 16th in the third round last season, the first at the hole since 2015.
Scottsdale is about 30 miles from Glendale and at least a few Tour players (and surely some fans) plan to see the Super Bowl in person, including Jordan Spieth. In 2015, the last time the Phoenix area pulled off the double dip, Spieth did it.
The defending champion is Scottie Scheffler as he beat Patrick Cantlay on the third hole of a sudden-death playoff by draining a 25-foot birdie. Cantlay missed an 11-foot birdie try after Scheffler holed his putt. Scheffler had birdied four of the final six holes in regulation for a 4-under 67 to match Cantlay (who also shot 67) at 16-under 268. It seems laughable now, but it was Scheffler’s first PGA Tour win. He has since won three more times, including the Masters.
WM Phoenix Open Odds
World No. 1 Rory McIlroy will play his first PGA Tour event of 2023 and is +655 to win along with world No. 3 Jon Rahm, who went to school nearby at Arizona State. McIlroy’s lone PGA Tour start in the 2022-23 was an October win at the CJ Cup in South Carolina. He also won last month on the European Tour in Dubai. McIlroy has played this event once and had a T13.
Rahm has won four of his last six starts combined on the PGA Tour and European Tour, including twice last month in the USA. The Spaniard hasn’t finished worse than T16 in seven trips to this tournament with the best a T5.
Defending champion Scottie Scheffler is +1100 along with Xander Schauffele. Tony Finau is +1300 and Collin Morikawa +1400. Max Homa, who won two weeks ago at the Farmers Insurance Open for his second victory of the season, is +1600. Schauffele was T3 here last year and T2 in 2021. Finau was a runner-up in 2020. Morikawa has a T25 his lone time playing. Homa’s best result is T6.
Canada’s George Knudson won this tournament in 1968, while Graham DeLaet was runner-up by a shot to Kevin Stadler in 2014. Adam Hadwin was the top Canadian last year at T26 – he was contending before a final-round 74 — with Corey Conners T38. Ben Silverman, Roger Sloan, Etienne Papineau and Nick Taylor missed the cut. Conners is +4000 this week with Taylor Pendrith +6200, Hadwin +6600, Mackenzie Hughes +9900, Adam Svensson +12300 and Taylor also +12300. Conners is the +275 favourite as top Canadian.
WM Phoenix Open Predictions
Take Patrick Cantlay at +1600 to win off his playoff loss last year. He has another runner-up already this season on the PGA Tour.