2023 WM Phoenix Open Odds, Field & Betting Picks
The 2023 WM Phoenix Open starts a four-tournament stretch over the next five weeks of monster fields as part of the PGA Tour’s new lineup of designated events with $20 million purses. That number smashes last year’s purse of $8.2 million, which was a record at the time.
For this event, which is one of the most-attended tournaments of the year with 700,000 fans expected, eight of the world’s top-10 golfers are teeing it up. The field includes the top-ranked golfer in the Official World Golf Rankings, Rory McIlroy, who is making his 2023 debut on the PGA Tour. Other storylines include Scottie Scheffler defending a tournament title for the first time and Jon Rahm’s quest for his third win of the calendar year.
This event dates back to 1932 and has been played annually since 1934. Arnold Palmer won this event three years in a row from 1961-63 and is tied for the most wins here with Phil Mickelson, Mark Calcavecchia, and Gene Littler.
The Course
Since 1987, the event has been held at TPC Scottsdale’s Stadium Course. It’s a par-71, 7,261-yard track and features a 16th hole that’s unique to the world of golf. The par-3 hole is completely surrounded by grandstands and luxury boxes, holding 16,000 fans at just the one hole.
In addition to sharing the record for most wins here, Calcavecchia (2001) and Mickelson (2013) also hold the course record of a 28-under 256. Scheffler and Patrick Cantlay shot -16 last year with the former prevailing in a playoff. Brooks Koepka won in 2021 at 19-under, which was the lowest score at the Stadium Course since it was renovated in 2015.
It’s a big weekend in the Phoenix area, as TPC Scottsdale is just over a 30-mile drive from State Farm Stadium in Glendale, which is hosting the NFL’s Super Bowl LVII on Sunday after this event wraps up.
McIlroy and Rahm Duel for the First Time in 2023
The two hottest golfers on the planet will tee off at the same PGA Tour stop since The CJ Cup in the fall. Jon Rahm (+750) finished fourth to Rory McIlroy (+900) in that event, but Rahm won the last time the two were on the course together, which was in November at the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.
Overall, Rahm has won two of the last three PGA Tour events he’s played in and four worldwide since October. He finished seventh at Torrey Pines two weeks ago after carding a 74 on the final day. With a week off and a return to where he attended college and is now his adopted home town, Rahm is a worthy favorite on a course where he’s finished no worse than 16th in seven tries and has shot under par in 16 consecutive rounds.
While Rahm began to heat up in the fall, McIlroy’s hot streak is coming up on one year. Dating back to last year’s Masters, he has three wins in 12 PGA Tour events, four other top-five finishes, and only missed one cut. In that time, he won the FedEx Cup, the DP World Tour season-long championship, and his only start of 2023, which came at the Dubai Desert Classic on the DPWT. What could give Rahm the edge here is in experience, as McIlroy has only played here one time—a 13th-place effort two years ago.
Other 2023 WM Phoenix Open Contenders
Scottie Scheffler (+1400)
Sandwiched between McIlroy and Rahm in the OWGR is Scottie Scheffler, who is ranked second in the world and is the defending champ here. It was the first win of Scheffler’s career, and he rattled off three more in his next five starts in 2022. He also finished seventh here in 2021. Scheffler’s flying a bit under the radar, as he hasn’t contended for a win this season but has finished no worse than 11th in his last four starts. He also finished runner-up in the Hero World Challenge, which is an unofficial money event.
Xander Schauffele’s (+1500)
All questions about Xander Schauffele’s health after withdrawing from Kapalua due to a back injury were answered at Torrey Pines. When we last saw the reigning Olympic gold medalist, he shot an albatross on his way to a 62 in the final round at the Farmers Insurance Open on his way to a third-place finish. He’s also never finished worse than 20th here in five tries, including a third and second in the past two editions.
Collin Morikawa (+1500)
Morikawa Recovered nicely from his rough final round in the Sentry Tournament of Champions (where he lost a six-stroke lead on the last 18 holes) to tie for third with Schauffele at Torrey Pines, putting him 2-for-2 in podium finishes in 2023. Patrick Cantlay (+1500) made his debut here last year and nearly won, losing out to Scheffler in a playoff. Justin Thomas (+2000) has some good value because he’s placed 25th in both events he’s played this year, but he has top-10 finishes in three of the last for years at TPC Scottsdale.
Longshots
Hideki Matsuyama (+3000)
While not a big longshot, Hideki Matsuyama seems to be healthy again after a ninth-place effort at Torrey Pines. He’s a two-time winner here and placed eighth a year ago.
Sahith Theegala (+4500)
could be the best bet to join the first-time winners’ club like Schauffele did a year ago. Theegala took a week off after finishing fourth at Torrey Pines, which was his fourth top-six finish of the season and came in third here last year. Even though it wasn’t a FedEx Cup event, he also won the QBE Shootout with Tom Hoge last December.
Of the big two, we favor Rahm over McIlroy due to his experience on this course. But that doesn’t mean McIlroy isn’t a strong contender. Along with Rahm, we are backing Scheffler, Schauffele, Thomas, and Theegala for the longshot pick.
Here are the latest odds from JazzSports for the PGA Tour’s 2023 WM Phoenix Open.
| GOLFERS | ODDS TO WIN 2023 WM PHOENIX OPEN |
| Jon Rahm | +750 |
| Rory McIlroy | +900 |
| Scottie Scheffler | +1400 |
| Xander Schauffele | +1500 |
| Collin Morikawa | +1500 |
| Tony Finau | +1800 |
| Justin Thomas | +2000 |
| Patrick Cantlay | +2000 |
| Max Homa / Cameron Young | +2500 |
| Sungjae Im / Tom Kim | +2500 |
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