PGA Power Rankings: Top 5 Golfers for WM Phoenix Open

The 2024 Waste Management Phoenix Open will feature 132 players taking part at the TPC Scottsdale Stadium Course in Scottsdale, Arizona. This comes after several weeks of golfers competing on different courses.

Wyndham Clark will be present after his amazing 12-under-par third-round performance at Pebble Beach, where he shot into first place and ultimately won the tournament because of the adverse conditions. At TPC Scottsdale, though, Scottie Scheffler is without a doubt the main man. The achieved ball-striker will try to win the WM Phoenix Open three times in a row, a feat not accomplished in more than ten years. Scheffler’s irons and tee-to-green skills are ideal for TPC Scottsdale’s demands.

The WM Phoenix Open may not be eligible to be considered a Signature Event, but plenty of other major tournaments will be in the race. Jordan Spieth, Hideki Matsuyama, Sam Burns, Sungjae Im, Tom Kim, Justin Thomas, and Matt Fitzpatrick are among the household names.

Ahead of Thursday’s opening tee times at the 2024 WM Phoenix Open, PGA handicapper Matt MacKay is back with his most recent PGA power rankings and advice on how to bet the outright market.

WM Phoenix’s opening date, time, and location for watching

Date: February 8-11, 2024
Where: TPC Scottsdale (Stadium Course), Scottsdale, Arizona
Where to Watch: ESPN+, Golf Channel, NBC

WM Phoenix Open Course

The 7,261-yard, par-71 TPC Scottsdale Stadium Course features Bermudagrass fairways and a combination of rye, PoaTrivia, Bentgrass, and Tifeagle Bermudagrass greens. This course, which opened in 1988 and was designed by Tom Weiskopf and Jay Morrish, has developed into a raucous viewing atmosphere, especially on the par-3 16th hole.

WM Phoenix Open Odds

GOLFER	ODDS
Scottie Scheffler	450
Justin Thomas	1000
Max Homa	1600
Sam Burns	2000
Jordan Spieth	2000
Byeong Hun An	2800
Min Woo Lee	2800
Matt Fitzpatrick	3000
Wyndham Clark	3000
J.T. Poston	3000
Sungjae Im	3300
Sahith Theegala	3500
Tom Kim	4000
Cameron Young	4000
Eric Cole	4500

Rankings for WM Phoenix Open Power

SCHEFFLER SCOTTIE (+450)

Other than his consistency at TPC Scottsdale, there’s not much to say about Scottie Scheffler. After finishing in seventh place, he went on to win this event in 2022 and 2023, including a playoff win over Patrick Cantlay in 2022.

In terms of total strokes gained, Scheffler is ranked eighth; nevertheless, he is first in regulation % for greens, sixth when approaching the green, and fourth when tee-to-green. Scheffler appears like a lock to invest in the outright betting market, but a three-peat—something you haven’t seen since 2011—requires assistance from his putter.

JUSTIN THOMAS (+1000)

Although Justin Thomas’s difficulties in 2023 were widely reported, he now seems to have totally recovered. Thomas is ranked first in strokes gained tee-to-green, sixth approaching the green, and second around the green in 2024, despite not having won an event yet. Although Thomas’s strokes gained putting ranking is 172nd, he has had a lot of success with T20 finishes at the WM Phoenix Open since 2018. At +1000 odds, he’s definitely worth putting money down on.

MATT FITZPATRICK (+3000)

Englishman Matt Fitzpatrick, another player with a lot of irons and ball-striking ability, is favored by +3000 in the outright betting market going into the WM Phoenix Open. Fitzpatrick routinely avoids challenging lays as he ranks 31st in distance from the fairway’s edge and 25th in regulation % for greens.

Fitzpatrick’s strokes gained measurements may not always accurately reflect his ability to sink putts with the flat stick, even though he ranks 12th in birdie or better conversion percentage. Fitzpatrick’s inconsistent and erratic play means we’re merely betting.25 units, however at a course like TPC Scottsdale, the investment is justified at +3000.

THEEGALA SAHITH (+3500)

Sahith Theegala, a rising stars on the PGA Tour, came very close to winning this tournament in 2022, finishing T3 with Brooks Koepka and Xander Schauffele at -15-under-par. Currently ranked 37th in strokes gained putting and 50th in strokes gained off the tee, Theegala is one of the better putters of the season.

Although he ranks 78th in strokes gained on approach, he crushes the driver, ranking 22nd for driving distance on all drives. He will need to improve his approach game. Theegala is a good option to sprinkle on at +3500 odds on FanDuel Sportsbook due to his comfort level at this course and his previous outright victory at Fortinet this past September.

BEAU HOSSLER (+5000)

Beau Hossler might not be well-known to the average golfer, but in 2024, he has played some extremely steady golf. This season, Hossler has shown remarkable accuracy, especially in strokes gained around the green (7th) and in strokes gained putting (6th). He’s earned a T6 at Farmers and a T14 at Pebble Beach in the last two weeks. Hossler finished T14 at TPC Scottsdale in 2023, shooting -8 under par in the last round. With just 0.10 units invested, +5000 may make a tidy profit as the 28-year-old looks to win his first race of the season.

YU KEVIN (+8000)

At TPC Scottsdale, Kevin Yu is essentially playing on a home course, which gives him an advantage over a large portion of the field. Yu has had a fantastic start to the 2024 season, even if he placed T58 at Pebble Beach. Yu had placed T3 and T6 in the American Express and Farmers Insurance Open events before that outing.

Yu has excellent stroke-gaining skills off the tee box. He ranks sixth in strokes gained off the tee but 60th in strokes gained on approach. Although Yu’s putter and chipping still need a lot of work, his ninth-place result in total driving provides him a chance to move up the leaderboard this next weekend. In addition, he is ranked 18th when it comes to going for the green, so at +8000 odds, adding another 0.10 unit is a wise move as Yu gets ready to play on a course he played for his college degree at Arizona State.