If an underdog cashes this weekend at the WM Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale, they will have earned it, as this field features 18 of the top 20 golfers in the OWGR. Nine of the past ten winners of this event either have a major win or a victory at The Players Championship on their resume.
A traditionally great field doesn’t mean some longshots cannot cash at this tournament, as Kevin Stadler was +12500 in his 2014 victory. Brooks Koepka earned his second WM Phoenix Open victory in 2021 at +5000, and Gary Woodland captured the crown in 2018 at +5000.
Scottie Scheffler won at +2800 last year, but those odds were kind of low considering he had never won on Tour prior to that victory which kickstarted a run to the Masters. Here are some longer-shot golfers that hope to repeat Scheffler’s success from a season ago:
Sahith Theegala +4000
Some big names were in the top 10 on the leaderboard at TPC Scottsdale last season, including Scheffler, Patrick Cantlay, Koepka, Xander Schauffele, Justin Thomas, Hideki Matsuyama, Jon Rahm, and Matt Fitzpatrick. Right there with them, though, was Sahith Theegala, who finished T3 at -15, just a stroke back from making the playoff between Scheffler and Cantlay.
Getting third at the WM Phoenix Open in your debut there is impressive, and Theegala comes in with momentum following a T4 at the Farmers Insurance Open two weeks ago.
Taylor Montgomery +6000
Last year was the door opener for Scheffler, as after his win at TPC Scottsdale, he also went on to victories at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and the WGC Dell Technologies Match Play before getting his first green jacket at the Masters. There are some who think Taylor Montgomery has a chance to emulate that path this year.
Montgomery has been solid, as he’s eighth in the FedEx Cup standings and has finished in the top 15 in eight of ten tournaments he’s played in 2022/23.
Chris Kirk +10000
Chris Kirk seems on the brink of his fifth career Tour victory, coming off back-to-back third-place finishes at the Sony Open in Hawaii and the American Express in his last two events. Kirk hit 79.2% of his GIR at TPC Scottsdale last season en route to a 14th-place finish.
Chez Reavie +30000
The WM Phoenix Open is a high-pressure event where the fans act like they are at a rock concert. Some golfers aren’t used to that, which is why past major winners and top names fare better here – because they have that crowd on their side. That also means local favorites should have an edge, which gives Arizona State graduate Chez Reavie a huge upside at +30000.
Reavie is +30000 because he’s missed six of the last eight cuts here – but his value comes from a second-place finish in 2018, followed by a fourth in 2019. He’s a wild card for sure but worth a low play.
