Big names at Phoenix Open
By Sportsbook.ag
Tournament: Waste Management Phoenix Open
Date: Jan. 29 - Feb. 1
Venue: TPC Scottsdale Golf Course
Location: Scottsdale, Arizona
The “Greatest Show on Grass” makes its return Thursday, as the golfers head to the desert for one of the most exciting events of the year, the Waste Management Phoenix Open. This tourney has been played at TPC Scottsdale since the 1987 season and has recently begun aligning with the Super Bowl, which is coincidently in Glendale, AZ this year.
Golfers deal with more than a half million attendees over their four days on the par-71, 7,216-yard course and will be faced with one of the most famous holes in golf, the par-three 16th which is surrounded by boisterous fans in a stadium atmosphere.
Last season it was Kevin Stadler who had the hot hand as he posted four consecutive rounds of 68 or better and just beat out Graham DeLaet and Bubba Watson, who finished just one stroke behind Stadler.
Tiger Woods will make his return this weekend and will join Arizona State alum Phil Mickelson in what anticipates being one of the better tournaments of the year.
Let’s look at a few players who can turn up the heat in the desert this weekend and grab a victory.
Golfers to Watch
Bubba Watson (14/1): Watson has had no issues tearing it up at this course in the past with top-15 finishes in each of the past three seasons, including being the runner-up last season after leading the field with an average drive of 337.4 yards. He already has a victory under his belt this season, and should have no issues navigating this course with his big stick (300.6 yards per drive, 26th on tour) as he looks to improve one spot from last year and take home the trophy.
Phil Mickelson (23/1): It seems as if everyone is on Mickelson’s side when he heads to this course with his fellow Arizona State alum cheering him on, and he has rewarded them with three victories, with his last coming in 2013. He warmed up with a solid 24th-place showing at the Humana Challenge and should be able to wow the locals once again with his amazing wedge play as he looks to prove to the world that he still has some wins left in his tank.
Ryan Palmer (30/1): Palmer just keeps putting up big performances, and is due for his first win on the PGA Tour since the 2010 season after rattling off three top-25 finishes to start the year. He proved what he can do with a 61 on Friday of the Humana Challenge when he shot 10-under par of an eight-hole stretch and finished the event in 10th place. Palmer should be considered one of the safer picks to fight for first place come Sunday afternoon.
Brendan Steele (35/1): Steele has managed to make the cut in each of his five events so far this year and is coming off a runner-up performance at the Humana Challenge where he shot a 64 on Sunday. His past performances at this course really put him in the limelight, as he has been in the top-6 each of the past three seasons, and has shot a 69 or better in 10-of-12 rounds during that period. He feels comfortable at this course and should feed off his solid play from last week to come up big in Scottsdale.
Scott Piercy (40/1): Piercy is another player who comes to the Waste Management Open with both recent success this year and past success at this course. He’s finished in the top-17 at four of his past six outings, including a second-place showing at the Sony Open, and shot a 67 in three of the four rounds last year, as he finished in a tie for 15th place. The odds are still low for Piercy, but he looks primed and ready for his third career PGA Tour win.
Waste Management Phoenix Open Betting Odds - Provided by Sportsbook.ag
Bubba Watson 14/1
Jordan Spieth 15/1
Tiger Woods 18/1
Matt Kuchar 20/1
Rickie Fowler 20/1
Phil Mickelson 23/1
Hideki Matsuyama 24/1
Patrick Reed 24/1
Bill Haas 27/1
Ryan Palmer 30/1
Brendan Steele 35/1
Gary Woodland 35/1
Harris English 35/1
Hunter Mahan 35/1
Justin Thomas 35/1
Billy Horschel 40/1
Scott Piercy 40/1
Brooks Koepka 45/1
Charley Hoffman 45/1
Graham Delaet 45/1
Ryan Moore 45/1
Russell Henley 50/1
Keegan Bradley 55/1
Jamie Donaldson 60/1
Robert Streb 60/1
Francesco Molinari 65/1
Martin Laird 65/1
Nick Watney 65/1
Zach Johnson 70/1
Charles Howell III 75/1
Jason Dufner 75/1
Brandt Snedeker 85/1
Kevin Na 85/1
Sang-Moon Bae 85/1
Shawn Stefani 85/1
Kevin Chappell 95/1
J.B. Holmes 100/1
Seung-Yul Noh 100/1
Jason Kokrak 110/1
Tony Finau 110/1
Ben Martin 120/1
Cameron Tringale 120/1
Brendon de Jonge 130/1
Brian Harman 130/1
Kevin Streelman 130/1
Boo Weekley 140/1
Pat Perez 140/1
Rory Sabbatini 140/1
Russell Knox 140/1
Scott Stallings 140/1
Daniel Summerhays 170/1
Jonas Blixt 170/1
Matt Every 170/1
Matt Jones 180/1
Camilo Villegas 190/1
Sung Joon Park 190/1
Jason Bohn 200/1
Angel Cabrera 220/1
Erik Compton 220/1
Geoff Ogilvy 220/1
George McNeill 220/1
K.J. Choi 220/1
Mark Wilson 220/1
Michael Putnam 220/1
Morgan Hoffmann 220/1
James Hahn 230/1
Robert Garrigus 230/1
Spencer Levin 230/1
Steven Bowditch 230/1
Aaron Baddeley 240/1
David Hearn 240/1
Adam Hadwin 250/1
Andres Romero 250/1
Andrew Svoboda 250/1
Billy Hurley III 250/1
Bo Van Pelt 250/1
Brian Davis 250/1
Brian Stuard 250/1
Brice Garnett 250/1
Bryce Molder 250/1
Carl Pettersson 250/1
Carlos Ortiz 250/1
Chad Campbell 250/1
Charlie Beljan 250/1
Chesson Hadley 250/1
Chez Reavie 250/1
Chris Stroud 250/1
Daniel Berger 250/1
Danny Lee 250/1
David Toms 250/1
Derek Fathauer 250/1
Freddie Jacobson 250/1
Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano 250/1
Jeff Overton 250/1
Jhonattan Vegas 250/1
John Huh 250/1
John Merrick 250/1
Justin Hicks 250/1
Justin Leonard 250/1
Ken Duke 250/1
Kenny Perry 250/1
Kevin Kisner 250/1
Kyle Stanley 250/1
Lucas Glover 250/1
Luke Guthrie 250/1
Martin Flores 250/1
Michael Thompson 250/1
Nicholas Thompson 250/1
Nick Taylor 250/1
Padraig Harrington 250/1
Retief Goosen 250/1
Ricky Barnes 250/1
Robert Allenby 250/1
Ryo Ishikawa 250/1
Scott Langley 250/1
Stewart Cink 250/1
Tim Wilkinson 250/1
Troy Merritt 250/1
William McGirt 250/1
Waste Management Preview and Picks
By Matt Fargo
Playbook.com
The Tour leaves California and heads to Arizona for the Waste Management Phoenix Open, played at TPC Scottsdale. This is the sixth year for sponsor Waste Management and the goal remains to be the "Greatest Show on Grass". This is the most attended event on tour and the par three 16th hole rivals some of the best parties around and it has become very popular among the players. In addition, with the Super Bowl in town, Sunday will be even more raucous.
Woods makes his first return to Scottsdale since 2001 and with a new swing coach that is apparently making huge strides and feeling 100 percent healthy, we could be in store for the old Tiger this year but not sure if it happens quite yet. He headlines a very strong field that includes 10 players from the OWGR top 25 including Bubba Watson, Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler and Matt Kuchar, all of which are ranked in the top 11. And of course, all-time tournament moneyleader Phil Mickelson is making his second start in two weeks.
Hideki Matsuyama(+2,400) is a rising star that is quietly ranked 18th in the world. He is off to a very solid start this year as he opened with a T3 at the Frys.com Open back in October and has four other top 25's on top of that including another T3 at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions. He is coming off a disappointing T78 last week but in his debut here last year, he finished T4. He won the Memorial last year and should bounce back to make a run this week.
Gary Woodland (+2,700) opened as a bigger favorite and he has come down but I feel the odds are still very good. He can bomb the ball and that is a big factor in doing well here. His last start was at the Sony Open two weeks ago and that resulted in a T3, his third top five in four starts since November. He finished T37 here last year but he has had better success prior to that with a T5 in 2011 and a T16 in 2013.
We are getting great odds with Brendan Steele (+3,500) who is in good current form and has great past history, a huge combination for this course. He is coming off a T2 at the Humana Challenge last week, his first start since November and while he has not won here, he has been in contention the last three years with a T6 last year, a T6 in 2013 and a T5 in 2012. Coming off his best finish since 2011 when he won the Valero Texas Open, look for him to be right up there again.
Ryan Moore (+4,500) is another player with great history and positive current form. He withdrew last week from the Humana with a neck issue but he is fine and should continue his success at TPC Scottsdale. He finished T6 last year which came after a solo fourth in 2013. He won the CIMB Classic this past October and he followed that up with a T20 at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions.
For our longshot this week, we will take Pat Perez (+14,000). He was in a horrible slump as he missed two October cuts after closing last year with six cuts or DQ's in his last nine events with a T46 being his best finish. After two events in November, he spent the winter working hard on his game and it has paid off. Perez has made the cut in four straight tournaments including a T-17 at the Sony Open and has fared very well here, this being his hometown and his home course.
Recommended Tournament Win Five Pack at the Waste Management Phoenix Open - All for 1 Unit
Hideki Matsuyama(+2,400)
Gary Woodland (+2,700)
Brendan Steele (+3,500)
Ryan Moore (+4,500)
Pat Perez (+14,000)
2015 Record to date after 2 event: +19 Units
Hyundai Tournament of Champions -5 Units
Humana Challenge +24 Units