By Landon Silinsky

After three weeks in California, the PGA TOUR heads to Arizona for the WM Phoenix Open. TPC Scottsdale will host, and measures as a 7,261-yard par 71 with Poa grass greens. After weeks of multi-course rotations and small fields, we are back to a standard full-field event this week with a 36-hole cut.

Below I have outlined my two favorite bets for the week.

Hideki Matsuyama to win (+5000)

Thanks to the withdrawals of Viktor Hovland and Xander Schauffele, the top of the board is virtually unplayable this week with Scottie Scheffeler sitting at +450 and Justin Thomas at +1000. So instead, we will pivot to the mid-range, where Hideki Matsuyama looks like a strong outright at 50/1.

Matsuyama has made this event a priority throughout his career, and the results have borne that out, as he won here in both 2016 and 2017, while posting three additional top-eight finishes in 10 starts since 2014. Matsuyama has also failed to miss a cut at TPC Scottsdale in that time frame.

The 2021 Masters champ has gained strokes ball-striking in each of his past three events and looked quite strong at the Farmers with a T13 finish. Given that Matsuyama’s history at this event is so strong, it’s no surprise that he ranks No. 1 in this field in SG: Tee-to-Green per round at TPC Scottsdale, averaging over 2.1 strokes per.

Matsuyama spent much of 2023 battling injuries, but he appears to be healthy to start the new year, and now is the time to strike at a course he loves.

Akshay Bhatia to win (+6000)

Bhatia used to be a guy we looked to target on resort-style courses only, but he’s really improved his game over the past few months. He’s shown so far in 2024 that he can compete on any style of course, posting T13s at Farmers and Sony, along with a T14 at Sentry.

During this stretch, Bhatia’s game has been incredibly well-rounded, ranking 10th in the field in SG: Ball-Striking, sixth in SG: Putting and fourth in SG: Total over his past 12 rounds. He’s never played TPC Scottsdale before but has already shown he can close after posting his first-career PGA TOUR victory at the Barracuda Championship this past July.

This tournament is certainly more up for grabs with both Hovland and Schauffele withdrawing, and it would not be surprising whatsoever if the 22-year old Bhatia is in contention come Sunday.

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All WM Phoenix Open odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook, lines and odds subject to change.

I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and customer (my username is Lan1228) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.