Betting Preview - USPGA - Waste Management Phoenix Open
The PGA Tour remains in Arizona this week in the form of the Waste Management Phoenix Open (formerly FBR Open).
The ‘Phoenix Open’ began in 1935 and the event has been held at TPC Scottsdale since 1987. The course is steeped in history, from Tiger Wood’s hole-in-one on the 16th in 1998 to the PGA Tour’s only par 4 hole-in-one, recorded on the 17th hole by Andrew Magee in 2001.
TPC Scottsdale is regarded as a links-style golf course. It measures over 7200 yards (par 71) and the course is well protected by 70+ bunkers. The current course record is 60.
This event gets some of the biggest crowds of the year to watch golf. The party atmosphere will be in full flow at the weekend as 50,000 spectators descend on the infamous par 3 16th hole.
Key Stats:
Almost every winner of this event in the past twenty years has been in the top 10 in putting.
Keep note of players who have a good scoring record on par 4’s. Only twice in the last 10 years has the winner played the par 5’s better than the par 4’s.
Accuracy over distance - desert wash, water features and plants are just some of the obstacles that these professionals will need to overcome. Players will need to focus on placement rather than power off the tee. Only three of the last 12 champions have been in the top 10 in driving distance.
Look for players in form. Five of the last 10 winners have had a top 10 finish in the previous two weeks before this event.
Players to note:
The defending champion is Kenny Perry (beat Charley Hoffman in play-off). Other notable past champions participating this week are Phil Mickelson (2005, 1996), J.B. Holmes (2008 (beat Phil Mickelson in play-off), 2006) and Aaron Baddeley (2007).
Kevin Na - 3rd in 2009, tied for 4th in 2007 & T-2 in 2005.
Rocco Mediate - 6 top 10 finishes in 18 appearances here including a win in 1999.
Brian Gay - 3 top 25 finishes in the last 3 years. Best finish was T-6 in 2009.
David Toms - 4 top 10 finishes in 14 starts in this event. Best finish was T-4 last year.
Justin Leonard - 2nd in both 1996 & 1999.
Martin Kaymer - Winter resident in Arizona makes his first appearance in this event.
Marc Leishman - 2009 rookie-of-the-year makes his first appearance here. T-2 in recent Farmer’s Insurance Open.
Ian Poulter - Accenture Match Play Champion also tackles this event for the first time.
Other notable first-timers include Michael Sim, Alvaro Quiros, Jeev Milkha Singh, Troy Merritt and recent major winner Y.E. Yang.
Caution:
Trevor Immelman - US Masters winner plays his first event since suffering a wrist injury in October. His current world ranking is 182nd! He’s played three times at TPC Scottsdale, missing the cut twice.
Chris DiMarco - Past winner here (2002) but withdrew from last weeks Mayakoba Golf Classic due to illness.
Conclusion:
J.B. Holmes has all the right credentials to win this week. His putting in recent weeks has improved dramatically, due to his hard work. The two-time winner of this event (his only PGA Tour wins) is on a hot streak at present, recently finished T-2 at the AT&T Pebble Beach National (-10 on par 4’s) and a week before that he tied 3rd in the Northern Trust Open (2nd in putting).
Holmes has proven that he can handle the boisterous atmosphere that surrounds this event. Expect him to top the leaderboard on Sunday night. Bet rating 3.5/5
