WM Phoenix Open Power Rankings & Best Bets: How to Make Money Avoiding Scottie Scheffler
The biggest party in golf returns to TPC Scottsdale as The People's Open runs from Thursday through Super Bowl Sunday, with Round 4 finishing just hours before kickoff of the Big Game. Scottie Scheffler, this week's +240 outright betting favorite, tops our WM Phoenix Open power rankings. But who slots in behind him in the field of 123?
Here is my PGA Tour top 10 to help with your golf picks and pools this week, and a bet on each golfer in the rankings.
🗑️ WM Phoenix Open power rankings & best bets
Here are our 2026 WM Phoenix Open power rankings, with the best odds from our best golf betting sites and a bet to make for all 10 golfers:
| 📊 Ranking | 🏌️ Golfer | 🔢 Best odds to win | 💰 Bet to make |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Sahith Theegala | +5000 via bet365 | Top 5 finish |
| 9 | Min Woo Lee | +7000 via BetRivers | Top rest of world player |
| 8 | Nick Taylor | +7000 via BetRivers | Top 20 after Round 1 |
| 7 | Sam Burns | +3300 via bet365 | Top 20 finish |
| 6 | Viktor Hovland | +4000 via Caesars | Top European player |
| 5 | Hideki Matsuyama | +3000 via Caesars | Top 20 after Round 1 |
| 4 | Xander Schauffele | +2000 via BetRivers | Top 20 finish |
| 3 | Si Woo Kim | +2500 via FanDuel | Top Asian player |
| 2 | Cameron Young | +2500 via BetRivers | Top 10 finish |
| 1 | Scottie Scheffler | +240 via BetMGM | To win |
❓️ What about Brooks?
Brooks Koepka returned to the PGA Tour last week with a T-56 finish in the Farmers Insurance Open after making the cut on the number with a birdie on his 36th hole of the tournament. I want to see him string some events together before throwing any money on him. He's +130 to miss the cut at BetRivers (-186 to make the cut).
💡 How I'm betting the WM Phoenix Open
I'm diversifying my betting portfolio this week, as I recommend for any event that includes Scottie Scheffler as the No. 1 golfer in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) and outright betting favorite each week he plays. I consider Scheffler as an outright bet anytime his odds are longer than +215, based on his seven tournament wins in his last 22 events dating back to last year.
My other nine picks for the top 10 in our WM Phoenix Open power rankings are plus-money props, with the golfers ranging from favorites to long shots in the outright WM Phoenix Open odds. I have a futures bet from December on Sahith Theegala to win this week, but I'm hedging that with a bet on a top-5 finish at +1000 odds.
Key stats
I value course history, and tournament experience and success more at the WM Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale than any other event on the PGA Tour, save for the Masters. The tournament has a one-of-a-kind atmosphere, and not all golfers are cut out for the rowdy crowd.
We've seen six of the last 10 runnings of this tournament go to a playoff, so I also expect a tight Sunday leaderboard. That puts a little added emphasis on strokes gained: putting. Here are my key stats, and how I'm weighing them this week:
- Strokes gained: approach (30%)
- Strokes gained: around-the-green (30%)
- Proximity 150-175 yards (20%)
- Driving distance (15%)
- Strokes gained: putting (5%)
💰 Best bets for our WM Phoenix Open top 10
Here's the analysis for our top 10 WM Phoenix Open power rankings to help with your golf picks this week:
🥇 Scottie Scheffler
Best odds to win: +240
Best WM Phoenix Open finish: Win (2022, 2023)
Bet to make: To win (+240 via BetMGM)
Why I'm betting Scheffler: Dating back to last May, driving accuracy has been Scheffler's lone inconsistency. That won't be punished in the desert.
🥈 Cameron Young
Best odds to win: +2500
Best WM Phoenix Open finish: T-8 (2024)
Bet to make: Top 10 finish (+250 via BetRivers)
Why I'm betting Young: Made his season debut last week and picked up where he left off with his irons finely tuned (1.01 strokes gained: approach per round). One of the longer hitters in the field with back-to-back WM Phoenix Open finishes of T-8 and T-12.
🥉 Si Woo Kim
Best odds to win: +2500
Best WM Phoenix Open finish: T-12 (2024)
Bet to make: Top Asian player (+240 via Caesars)
Why I'm betting Kim: Nobody's been hotter or more consistent to start the 2026 PGA Tour season than Kim, who gained 2.70 strokes on approach per round last week. His putter has been cold, but he hasn't finished worse than T-23 in three straight trips to TPC Scottsdale.
4️⃣ Xander Schauffele
Best odds to win: +2000
Best WM Phoenix Open finish: T-2 (2021)
Bet to make: Top 20 finish (+100 via BetRivers)
Why I'm betting Schauffele: This is as high as I could rank Schauffele off of his missed cut last week. He had plenty of driving distance at Torrey Pines, but I'm being cautious of a potential injury that took away any accuracy control off the tee.
5️⃣ Hideki Matsuyama
Best odds to win: +3000
Best WM Phoenix Open finish: Win (2016, 2017)
Bet to make: Top 20 after Round 1 (+190 via bet365)
Why I'm betting Matsuyama: The even-keel two-time winner at TPC Scottsdale is seemingly immune to the fanfare and shenanigans, and he comes in with his short game and ball striking complementing each other perfectly.
6️⃣ Viktor Hovland
Best odds to win: +4000
Best WM Phoenix Open finish: T-42 (2023)
Bet to make: Top European player (+600 via bet365)
Why I'm betting Hovland: Teeing it up stateside for the first time since the Tour Championship, but will be able to rely on his sharp iron play, and benefits from being a crowd favorite wherever he goes.
7️⃣ Sam Burns
Best odds to win: +3300
Best WM Phoenix Open finish: T-3 (2024)
Bet to make: Top 20 finish (+145 via bet365)
Why I'm betting Burns: It's a wonder Burns hasn't won this event before with driving distance and putting being among his consistent top strengths. I got some longer odds on Burns via our WM Phoenix Open 16th hole specials.
8️⃣ Nick Taylor
Best odds to win: +7000
Best WM Phoenix Open finish: Win (2024)
Bet to make: Top 20 after Round 1 (+275 via BetRivers)
Why I'm betting Taylor: The 2024 WM Phoenix Open champ finished T-13 in The Sony Open with his irons dialed in, and it was his short game that shined in The American Express. He hasn't gained fewer than 0.75 strokes in his last three appearances at TPC Scottsdale. Taylor was the first of my WM Phoenix Open picks this week.
9️⃣ Min Woo Lee
Best odds to win: +7000
Best WM Phoenix Open finish: T-12 (2025)
Bet to make: Top rest of the world player (+1100 via bet365)
Why I'm betting Lee: Driving distance to spare and his short game can cook around the greens after he gained some experience with last year's T-12 finish. Lee features in LJ Blut's WM Phoenix Open long-shot picks.
🔟 Sahith Theegala
Best odds to win: +5000
Best WM Phoenix Open finish: 5th (2024)
Bet to make: Top 5 finish (+1000 via bet365)
Why I'm betting Theegala: Back-to-back top-10 finishes after a poor fall swing, with driving distance, a strong short game, and a red-hot putting stroke.
🧮 WM Phoenix Open bankroll management
Properly managing your bankroll is the most important thing when it comes to sports betting - regardless of the sport or your preferred bet types. Our betting calculators can help you decide how much to commit to each wager, and we advise tracking your deposits, withdrawals, and bets.
Here is my split for my WM Phoenix Open card, with this being a rough guideline for any tournament involving Scottie Scheffler in 2026:
| Bet type | % of tournament bankroll | Amount ($100 tournament bankroll) |
|---|---|---|
| Outright bets (Scottie Scheffler) | 20% | $20 (to win $48) |
| Outright bets (other golfers) | 10% | $10 |
| Long-shot outrights | 10% | $10 |
| Prop bets | 60% | $60 |
⛳ WM Phoenix Open tournament info
- Where: TPC Scottsdale (Scottsdale, Ariz.)
- When: Thursday, Feb. 5 - Sunday, Feb. 8
- Field: 123
- Favorite: Scottie Scheffler (+240 via BetMGM)
- Defending champion: Thomas Detry
- Purse: $9.6 million
- FedEx Cup points: 500
📃 Affiliate disclosure
Sportsbook Review may receive a commission if you sign up through our links. Not intended for use in MA. Bonuses not applicable in Ontario. 21+ only. (Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER)
Related Articles
