The biggest party in golf is back. The Waste Management Phoenix Open is taking place this weekend at TPC Scottsdale. The first round begins Thursday with the final round taking place Sunday.
Some of the best golfers in the world will be teeing off. The tournament historically has been a strong event on tour. This year’s loaded field includes last year’s winner Brooks Koepka and popular players Jordan Spieth and Bubba Watson, to name a few.
This will be the first year that locals can use sports betting apps in Arizona to place wagers on their favorite golfers during this event. Many prospective bettors are wondering which players are the favorites this time around and what props are worth taking a peek at.
TPC Scottsdale takes center stage
The course at TPC Scottsdale is a par-71 that plays 7,261 yards. Long-hitters have an advantage with firm fairways, short rough, and all three Par 5s being 560-575 yards.
Strikers who can bomb it and score on the Par 5s are the prototype players who can win here. Meanwhile, putting has been historically less important to top finishes and wins at the Waste Management Phoenix Open.
According to most AZ sportsbooks, world No. 1 and Arizona State grad Jon Rahm is the favorite. On DraftKings Sportsbook Arizona, odds on Rahm to win are at +600.
He is followed by world No. 7 Justin Thomas at +1000. Right behind those two are Hideki Matsuyama (+1200) and Viktor Hovland (+1600).
Matsuyama is the all-time money leader at this event, with over $34.8 million in career earnings. He also has back-to-back wins in 2016 and 2017, a runner-up, a tie for fourth (T-4) and two additional top 20s.
2022 Waste Management popular betting options
Thanks to Arizona sports betting sites, there are plenty of ways to bet on the Phoenix Open. With so many great players on the PGA Tour, it is tough to narrow down who will be the outright winner of the tourney. However, you can shift your focus to other categories.
For example, placing bets on golfers you think will place highly without winning. So, in this case, you can bet on last year’s winner Brooks Koepka to finish in the Top 5 with the odds at +500.
Other popular golf bets include head-to-head betting. It is just like picking the winner of two teams in other sports. However, you are just choosing which of the two golfers will perform the best this time.
There are also several props bets. You can place a bet on a golfer to make a Hole-In-One or lead the tournament wire-to-wire. These wagers can give you additional rooting interest as the tourney plays out, not to mention more chances to win.
One interesting prop you can bet is if there will be a playoff.
At the Phoenix Open, there has been a playoff in four of the past six years. In 2016, Matsuyama won in a playoff over Rickie Fowler. He won in a playoff again in 2017, this time over Webb Simpson. In 2018, Gary Woodland beat Chez Reavie in a one-hole, sudden-death playoff. Also, Simpson defeated Tony Finau on the first playoff hole in 2020.
Live Phoenix Open odds
When will DraftKings at TPC Scottsdale open?
Retail sportsbooks are continuing to pop up in Arizona. After Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey signed sports betting legislation into law, DraftKings wasted little time gaining its footing in the Grand Canyon State.
DraftKings became the first company to secure a partnership in Arizona, joining forces with the PGA Tour and TPC Scottsdale. Plans are now in motion for a retail sportsbook at the popular golf course.
But sports bettors will not be able to take advantage of the facility just yet. DraftKings tells us that the sportsbook is still in development and will not be open for the Waste Management Open. There is no timetable on when it will open.
That is a bit of a bummer for people planning to attend the biggest party in golf. But that shouldn’t stop Arizonans from taking advantage of the long list of sports betting apps they can access right from their phones.
