It’s Party Time at The Phoenix Open!
It might be Super Bowl weekend coming up, but in the world of golf that means one thing: It’s the Phoenix Open!
So let’s get the party started early with our predictions before the festivities start in earnest on the iconic par 3 16th and the rowdiness ensues before the upcoming Super Bowl weekend.
Picks Summary
- Justin Thomas to Win Outright (+1400)
- Justin Thomas to Finish Top 10 (+170)
- Bud Cauley to Finish in Top 20 (+950)
*All odds from Bet365 (check our Bet365 Review)
2024 WM Phoenix Open
February 8 – 11, 2024 at TPC Scottsdale
Scottie Scheffler Makes a Hat-Trick Bid
With Scottie Scheffler chasing an unprecedented hat-trick of Phoenix Opens in succession, there is a very solid favorite at the top of the betting market priced at +600 for us to take on, but that is what we are going to do this week in the Arizona desert at TPC Scottsdale.
The Stadium Course is a par 71, at 7261 yards and set close to 500 metres above sea level. Strokes Gained tee to green have always been a trend here, and don’t be fooled into believing that you need a brilliant putter to win because a low-scoring week is anticipated. Players like two-time winner Hideki Matsuyama and others have proved elite ball strikers prosper at the Phoenix Open.
Don’t Go Doubting Thomas
Those who doubted Justin Thomas last season thinking his best days were behind him when he was way below his best form, look wrong now after a strong start to 2024 from the thirty-year-old from Kentucky.
Last week’s strong effort at the Pebble Beach Pro-am where he was 6th, was further building blocks for his confidence on the back of a strong week at the American Express when he was 3rd on seasonal debut.
Thomas looks like a man on a mission this year, and surprisingly, he has never won the Phoenix Open but has a plethora of superb form at the track to illustrate a strong affinity with four top-10 finishes in the last five seasons.
We believe that Justin Thomas is the most solid alternative at the top of this week’s Phoenix Open betting market.
One of our top sportsbooks, Bet365, offers +1400 and we suggest you take that in a timely manner because the two-time major champion will be a very popular pick this week.
Golf Pick: Justin Thomas to Win Outright (+1400) at Bet365
Golf Pick: Justin Thomas to Finish Top 10 (+170) at Bet365
Will Bud Cauley Be Back With a Bang?
Golf fans will be pleased to see Bud Cauley making a return to the PGA Tour this week after a nasty car accident at the start of 2022 sidelined him with serious injuries for nearly two seasons.
The injuries meant a slew of surgeries to his ribs and chest wall, meaning Cauley was only able to swing a club for the first time in September of 2023.
Rehabilitation looks to have gone well and after a couple of weeks on the KFT Tour in the Bahamas, the thirty-three-year-old gets a start back in the big league at the Phoenix Open. Those two weeks proved that Cauley still has what it takes with a 21st and 35th despite admitting that,
“I’ll be a little nervous on the first tee. Even back before I was injured there was excitement for a new tournament, though. When I get back out there, I’m sure I’ll fall back into the tournament and competing.”
You can bet your bottom dollar that Bud Cauley will be nervous as he tees it up on Thursday, but he can expect a warm reception from the fans and his peers. Once those nerves have settled down, he has always played solidly at the TPC Scottsdale, Stadium Course and I expect him to have no expectations and enjoy his first of 27 PGA Tour medical exemption starts.
Obviously winning on his return would be the ultimate Cinderella story straight out of the iconic golf movie, Caddyshack, but a top-20 prop finish is not out of the question for Cauley. Keep stakes modest but take Bud Cauley for a top 20 finish this week at Bet365, who price him generously at +950.
Golf Pick: Bud Cauley to Finish in Top 20 (+950) at Bet365
*The line and/or odds referenced in this article might have changed since the content was published. For the latest information on line movements, visit OddsTrader’s free betting odds tool.