The “Greatest Show On Grass” will take place this week in Scottsdale, Arizona with the Waste Management Phoenix Open from the TPC Scottsdale Golf Course. One of the oldest events on the PGA Tour schedule, a lot has changed since this event was first staged as the Arizona Open all the way back in 1932. With its ridiculous crowds and a talented field of golfers, there is plenty of reason to tune in this week for what should be a fun an exciting tournament. If you’re not familiar with this event, it’s one you’ll want to tune into. The Sunday crowd is usually the biggest of any golf event at any point. A lot of casual fans show up to Scottsdale to dress up, drink and party, so make sure you tune into the festivities.
Event
Event Details: Waste Management Phoenix Open
Category: PGA
Date: February 2-5
Location: TPC Scottsdale Golf Course, Scottsdale, Arizona
Last year’s event was even more exciting with Hideki Matsuyama finding a way to win the event in a playoff over Rickie Fowler. Matsuyama will once again be among the sports betting favorites to win the 2017 edition of the Waste Management Phoenix Open but he will have some tough competition with Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas and Phil Mickelson on hand to compete for their share of the $6.7 million purse.
Past Five Winners
2016: Hideki Matsuyama -14 (Playoff)
2015: Brooks Koepka -15
2014: Kevin Stadler -16
2013: Phil Mickelson -28
2012: Kyle Stanley -15
What To Know About The Course
The TPC Scottsdale Golf Course doesn’t require outstanding Driving Distance or Driving Accuracy. The more important statistics to keep an eye out for are Greens In Regulation and Putting numbers. Matsuyama ranked first in Greens In Regulation a year ago and four of the first five home ranked inside the top-10 in GIR. It’s always important to score well on the Par 4’s but that is particularly true this week as each of the last six winners have all ranked inside the top-10 in that category including last year, when Matsuyama ranked first in Par 4 scoring.
The Field
Matsuyama is among the sports betting favorites at +1000 odds but the majority of sportsbooks have Spieth as the favorite to win outright at +800 odds. Meanwhile, Thomas is up there following his strong start to the year at +1200 odds and there is a significant drop off after that. Last week’s winner Jon Rahm is listed at +2000 followed by Mickelson at +2200 and Ryan Moore at +2800. The 2015 winner Brooks Koepka offers decent value at +2800 as well, followed by Bubba Watson, Patrick Reed and Rickie Fowler to round out the top-10 sports betting favorites.
A Good Matchup To Bet: Hideki Matsuyama over Jordan Spieth
Spieth is the betting favorite to win outright but we think that Matsuyama could have the edge at a course he clearly loves. Matsuyama has put up some excellent numbers at this event in the past including his win here a year ago and a runner-up finish at the Waste Management Phoenix Open back in 2015. Spieth definitely looked good at the Sony Open but Matsuyama has been so consistently dominant at this event that is worth taking him to win this matchup at favorable odds.
Top-Five Pick: Brooks Koepka
While Thomas and Rahm each started off the 2017 calendar season on a high note it still seems strange to see them listed so high among the sports betting favorites to win this event outright. Meanwhile, Koepka is listed at +2800 odds even though he has had some success at this tournament in the past including his win here in 2015. Thomas and Rahm might very well have some success in Scottsdale this week but we think Koepka represents the better value as a top-five pick for the Waste Management Phoenix Open.
Phoenix Waste Management Open Tee Times
7:30 a.m. – Ryan Palmer, Chad Campbell, Colt Knost
7:39 a.m. – Kevin Streelman, Kevin Chappell, Roberto Castro
7:48 a.m. – Ben Crane, Zac Blair, Blayne Barber
7:57 a.m. – Tony Finau, Vaughn Taylor, Gary Woodland
8:06 a.m. – Smylie Kaufman, J.B. Holmes, Steve Stricker
8:15 a.m. – Fabian Gomez, Steven Bowditch, Luke Donald
8:24 a.m. – Mackenzie Hughes, Pat Perez, Rod Pampling
8:33 a.m. – William McGirt, Shane Lowry, Danny Lee
8:42 a.m. – Carl Pettersson, Jason Bohn, Tyrone Van Aswegen
8:51 a.m. – Bryce Molder, Ricky Barnes, Brett Stegmaier
9:00 a.m. – Boo Weekley, John Huh, Mark Hubbard
10th Tee
7:30 a.m. – John Peterson, Harold Varner III, C.T. Pan
7:39 a.m. – Marc Leishman, Robert Garrigus, Kyle Reifers
7:48 a.m. – Scott Brown, Louis Oosthuizen, David Hearn
7:57 a.m. – Jon Rahm, Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler
8:06 a.m. – Hideki Matsuyama, Daniel Berger, Brooks Koepka
8:15 a.m. – Scott Piercy, Nick Taylor, Ben Martin
8:24 a.m. – Billy Horschel, Hunter Mahan, K.J. Choi
8:33 a.m. – Aaron Baddeley, Alex Cejka, Keegan Bradley
8:42 a.m. – Chez Reavie, Morgan Hoffmann, Chad Collins
8:51 a.m. – Camilo Villegas, Ken Duke, Jon Curran
9:00 a.m. – J.J. Spaun, Grayson Murray, Jim Knous
1st Tee
11:40 a.m. – Jonas Blixt, Sean O’Hair, Daniel Summerhays
11:49 a.m. – Martin Laird, Lucas Glover, Willy Wilcox
11:58 a.m. – Charlie Beljan, Steve Marino, Ryo Ishikawa
12:07 p.m. – Justin Thomas, Phil Mickelson, Adam Hadwin
12:16 p.m. – Patrick Reed, Bubba Watson, Matt Kuchar
12:25 p.m. – Zach Johnson, Chris Kirk, Matt Every
12:34 p.m. – Jim Herman, Emiliano Grillo, Brian Gay
12:43 p.m. – Russell Knox, Troy Merritt, Webb Simpson
12:52 p.m. – Brian Harman, Graham DeLaet, Andrew Loupe
1:01 p.m. – Kyle Stanley, Sung Kang, Luke List
1:10 p.m. – Wesley Bryan, Brandon Hagy, Michael Schoolcraft
10th Tee
11:40 a.m. – Harris English, Cameron Tringale, Jason Kokrak
11:49 a.m. – Geoff Ogilvy, Spencer Levin, Byeong Hun An
11:58 a.m. – Seung-Yul Noh, Matt Jones, Ollie Schniederjans
12:07 p.m. – Cody Gribble, Brian Stuard, J.J. Henry
12:16 p.m. – Brendan Steele, Si Woo Kim, Greg Chalmers
12:25 p.m. – James Hahn, Robert Streb, Retief Goosen
12:34 p.m. – Ryan Moore, Charley Hoffman, Padraig Harrington
12:43 p.m. – Mark Wilson, Bud Cauley, Patton Kizzire
12:52 p.m. – Russell Henley, Shawn Stefani, Patrick Rodgers
1:01 p.m. – Kevin Na, Jamie Lovemark, Michael Kim
1:10 p.m. – Andrew Johnston, Craig Hocknull, Alex Kim
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