WM Phoenix Open betting tips: Scheffler favourite but can Tom Kim hit full throttle?

Phoenix Open: Things to consider

The 'greatest show on grass' returns to the PGA Tour as the West Coast Swing continues. 

The pristine TPC Scottsdale will again play host to the Waste Management Phoenix Open, and we are in for a thrill over Super Bowl weekend. Five hundred FedEx Cup points will go to the winner with $9.2m (£7.45m) in the prize kitty. The last man standing will pick up $1.6m (£1.3m).

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Last year Nick Taylor (70/1 BetMGM) was the victor at the Phoenix Open on the back of a runner-up finish in 2023. 

Before that, world number one Scottie Scheffler went back-to-back winning at TPC Scottsdale in both the 2022 and 2023 seasons. The 'Scheff' finished T3 here in 2024 too and it might look a little ominous for the field.

The Phoenix Open runs alongside the Super Bowl and is one of the more boisterous golf tournaments on the calendar, especially when the players reach the par three 16th hole and during ‘happy hour’ on Sunday!

WM Phoenix Open: Top of the market

Rory McIlroy is the PGA Tour's most recent winner, but he will sit this one out as he carefully plans his season ahead of The Masters Tournament. 

Justin Thomas and Hideki Matsuyama (both at 13s with Spreadex) have strong records here in Phoenix, AZ with the latter having won back-to-back Phoenix Open events in 2016 and 2017. 

Scottie Scheffler though, is in a league of his own right now and leads the Phoenix Open betting odds at 3/1 with Betway.

TPC Scottsdale plays to a par 71 at 7,261 yards in length. The back nine is the scoring nine and includes the risk vs reward par five 15th hole, the stadium par three at number 16 and the drivable par four 17th hole. 

Proximity to the hole is key and so is ‘total driving’ along with high approaches for soft landings into some tucked pins. Distance control in the Arizona desert is also a premium. With this in mind let’s look at a few would-be winners:

Byeong Hun An has nice form in Phoenix with several top 25 finishes under his belt but if anyone is to beat Scheffler (who returned from injury at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am and looked like he was never away, finishing T9). An’s compatriot Tom Kim ranks 14th in ‘proximity to the hole’ and 30th in approach performance following the Pebble Beach Pro-Am. 

Kim owns progressive course history and simmering form with his latest result a T7 at Pebble. He ranks 13th in approach shots from 125-150 yards in 2025.

Another man returning from injury is Jordan Spieth (50/1 Betway) and the Texan owns five top 10 finishes from eight appearances in the Arizona Desert. 

Sepp Straka is one of the stories of the season so far and the Austrian can be backed at 33/1 (Spreadex). The big fella is now ranked 16th in the world following another top 10 finish at Pebble Beach.

Sahith Theegala can be a hard man to get a grip on any given week, but TPC Scottsdale is a good course fit for the American enigma. Theegala owns third and fifth place finishes from three starts here. His booming fade off the tee and his aggressive style sets him up nicely for the challenge at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. 

Theegala is simmering this season with an average finish of 44th but he is now up to 19th in the world golf rankings. The 27-year-old was 28th in ‘strokes gained: off the tee’ last season.

Kurt Kitayama has strong course form with progressive 23-8 finishes from two starts in Phoenix to his name. Kitayama has the required power off the tee (ranking 13th in SG off the tee) and flies the golf ball high from his approaches meaning he can access these hole locations. Kitayama ranked sixth in ‘proximity to the hole’ as well as 10th in approach shot performance in 2024.

FIRST’s top tip for the Phoenix Open

Joo Hyung ‘Tom’ Kim gets his nickname for being a fan of Thomas the Tank Engine, and he is gearing up to hit full throttle ahead of the Phoenix Open. Back Kim each way (eight places) at 33/1 with Betway. He’s 11/2 top Asian player.

Extra Tips

Sahith Theegala loves the set-up of the TPC Scottsdale course and can be backed at 45/1 (six places) with BetMGM.

Kurt Kitayama is another man with a strong course fit and who possesses the right attributes to challenge here. Back the European and PGA Tour winner each way at (60/1 BetMGM).

WM Phoenix Open: Value bets

Andrew Novak is a genuine worthy outsider having won the 36-hole pro-am event with his partner last week at Pebble Beach. Novak birdied number 18 on Sunday for a 12-under par total and a top 15 finish. 

He finished third at the Farmers Insurance Open and the American was eighth here in the Phoenix Open on debut last year. Novak ranked 25th in ‘proximity to the hole’ in 2024 and 23rd in the approach stats last year. He lies third in ‘approaches from 150-175 yards’ in 2025.

A hole-in-one has occurred 11 times in 37 years on the stadium-style 16th hole at TPC Scottsdale. Six of the hole-in-ones occurred on the Saturday of the golf tournament with the pin at the front of the green. In 2022 Carlos Ortiz went hole-in-one, eagle on the 16th and 17th holes respectively on the Sunday which was around a 1 in 90,000 shot. Keep an eye on the hole-in-one markets this week.

Back to the nitty gritty and incidentally Rickie Fowler is a man who loves this place and was the last man to hit a hole-in-one here in Phoenix. It came on the 7th hole in 2023. Fowler won the WM Phoenix Open in 2019 and looks like he is finding some good form again. 

The Californian native was fourth in approach proximity ahead of Pebble Beach and sits 40th now in the ‘total driving’ stat. The 36-year-old also boasts a couple of runner-up finishes in the desert.

It’s coincidental but there’s a bit of a Korean vibe from my preview this week and Si Woo Kim (66/1 Spreadex) is also on my radar for the Phoenix Open. Kim is renowned as one of the top ball strikers on tour and he ranks 22nd in ‘strokes gained: off the tee’ this year. Kim owns progressive course history figures of 50-26-23-12 and he has current form too, finishing 12th at Pebble Beach last week.

FIRST’s top value tips for the WM Phoenix Open

Rickie Fowler has been making some changes in his swing and looks to be returning to form ahead of a trip to a venue where he thrives. Back him at 70/1 (six places) each way with Spreadex.

Andrew Novak is a relatively new name on tour but watch out for the big man this year. He’s good value for the Phoenix Open at 90/1 (six places) with BetMGM.

The Korean pair look good this week and Si Woo Kim is 15/2 to be Top Korean with Mr.Play or grab him for a top 10 at a general market price of 9/4 at BetMGM.

Hole-in-ones are much coveted at the Phoenix Open. A hole-in-one in the tournament can be backed at 4/5 with Mr.Play.

Odds correct at the time of writing.