Waste Management Phoenix Open Betting Preview

The Waste Management Phoenix Open has become one of the best venues on Tour. It has everything: desert, beer, stadium holes and birdies…lots of birdies. Here’s our betting preview and tips.

Why do we all think Rickie doesn’t have bottle? Plenty of bottles being thrown around the 16th this week. Maybe he’ll pick up some!

We scored another win at the Farmers with Jason Day, although we secretly wanted Alex Noren to score big in America – it is Ryder Cup year and all! However, as horses for courses go, Day was our third win in this event in four years!

Course Data

This week we head out to desert climes: TPC Scottsdale is a 7,266 yard par 71 track that even after renovation doesn’t seem to change much for the viewing public.

A few years ago they changed the greens and even added a few yards, but it’ll take a lot more than that to stop the annual low-scoring fiesta in front of the beer-fuelled frat party.

via GIPHY

Of any courses played this year, Scottsdale has one of the biggest differences in temperatures from morning to afternoon. So expect to see some neck-warming snoods and comments that the course was playing really long from the morning starters and some short sleeves and smiles from the afternoon starters.

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There will be plenty of noise on the 16th tee again this year, but after the beer cups have been thrown and the University of Arizona alumni have all gone home the sponsors, Waste Management, will ensure this event generates zero waste – just think about that while you unwrap your Sunday pizza!

Previous Waste Management Phoenix Open Winning Odds

The class of winner seems to be getting better and better. Apart from a few Phil Mickelson wins, winners of the calibre of Kyle Stanley and Mark Wilson were regularly popping up. But things seem to have changed. The leaderboards are starting to look world class.

• 2017 – (-17) Hideki Matsuyama 11/1
• 2016 – (-14) Hideki Matsuyama 25/1
• 2015 – (-15) Brooks Koepka 40/1
• 2014 – (-16) Kevin Stadler 125/1
• 2013 – (-23) Phil Mickelson 25/1

Waste Management Betting Blog

There’s a good reason why Hideki Matsuyama is one of the favourites here. In four starts he’s not finished outside the Top 4 and has won the last two editions.

One big reason for this has to be the lack of wind in the desert at this time of year, certainly a more steady test for the longest pause on Tour than last week’s blustery conditions in San Diego.

Matsuyama and Rickie Fowler made it a pair of winning picks, coming in for an 11/1 win and a 35/1 each way last year. This year their odds have dropped to 9/1 and 14/1 respectively.

They are joined at the top of the betting market by Jordan Spieth (17/2) looking to open up his preparations for another Masters assault and Jon Rahm (10/1) who will surely be back to his awesome best after an indifferent weekend at Torrey Pines when the OWGR #1 spot seemed there for the taking.

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These four big punchers are joined by 2017 Man of the Year Justin Thomas (14/1) and the winner looks likely to be found amongst these five contenders – all of whom whom currently hold positions in the Top 7 of the OWGR.

Waste Management Betting Tips

I’ve gone with perhaps the least fancied of the top of the market this week and some value that might well snatch an each way spot from one of the strongest-looking fields we’ve had at TPC Scottsdale for a long time.

RICKIE FOWLER 14/1 – Rickie is about as due a win here as anywhere in the world. Last year he was T4 after a final round 65 and the year before he lost in a playoff with Hideki after coughing up a lead by driving through the green on the the 17th whilst leading.

Rickie’s missed cut in the Farmers last week was not entirely unexpected. He’s failed to make the weekend at Torrey Pines in three of the last four years. But the desert is a different test altogether and the way TPC Scottsdale sets up, it’s all about bombing long drives and making putts, something Rickie has done very well.

At 14/1 there’ll be plenty of takers, especially considering he’s made the Top 5 in two of his three official events this year as well as winning the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas just before Christmas.

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TONY FINAU 35/1 – We saw glimpses of Finau last week at the Farmers, but we ought to be seeing a lot more of him this week in conditions much more suited.

He already has great form coming in; T6 at Torrey Pines, T11 at the WCGC-HSBC and opening up with a runners-up to Brendan Steele in the Safeway Open. With results like these he has quietly climbed to 12th in the FedExCup Rankings. In fact he hasn’t been out of the Top 32 in any start so far this season.

BYEONG HUN AN 50/1 – For a player who has this much class in the desert (and who held the 54 hole lead here twelve months ago) I can only imagine that the odds compilers don’t like the look of his Dubai-Phoenix flight schedule!

50/1 looks more than generous enough to back a player who has only once finished outside the Top 13 in 12 Desert Swing Events and fresh off a T6 in Dubai too.

[blockquote-right]The course just suits me I guess! I think everything just suits my game on this course. Maybe if you miss you are still in the desert and can play shots[/blockquote-right]

WESLEY BRYAN 200/1 – His odds suggest the bookies think Wesley is a one-shot wonder. But was last year just a flash in the pan for the former trick-shot specialist?

His odds may well be indicative that after his win at the RBC Heritage last April he managed to finish under par for just 2 of his next 14 tournaments. But this might be expected for a rookie coming off his maiden tour title.

Six straight made cuts to start his season and some course knowledge picked up last year will help the 11th best putter on tour this season make enough birdies to get us all interested in his triple figure odds.

Waste Management Betting

All odds taken from bet365.com, 1/4 odds 1,2,3,4,5 correct at time of writing.

Total Staked in 2017-18 – £100.00
Total Returns – £219.30