Can Rickie Fowler pull off his first win since 2019 this week?
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The always wild and exciting 2023 WM Phoenix Open gets underway this Thursday, and we have our eye on a former Phoenix Open champion as a long shot bet to win. Here’s our pick, the betting favorites and everything else you need to know for the week.
WM Phoenix Open odds: Long shot bet
When Rickie Fowler won the 2019 WM Phoenix Open for his fifth career PGA Tour win, he rocketed to No. 8 in the Official World Golf Ranking, where he previously had spent a considerable amount of time during his peak run circa 2015.
A lot has changed since. Fowler experienced years of struggles after that big victory, plummeting in the world ranking and failing to seriously contend for whole seasons. But things are starting to turn around for the fan favorite in a big way.
In late 2021, Fowler earned his first top-5 finish since January 2020 with a T3 at the CJ Cup. He made 13 of 22 cuts last season, regularly getting off to hot starts before faltering on the weekend. Things look even better for Fowler early in the 2022-23 season. In six starts, Fowler has successfully made the cut five times, collecting two top 10s in the process: a T6 at the Fortinet Championship in September and a T2 at the Zozo Championship.
In his most recent start at the Farmers Insurance Open, Fowler contended before settling for a solid T11. With promising recent results paired with a new swing, at long last it seems like Fowler’s sixth PGA Tour victory isn’t that far fetched of an idea.
Given that he’s playing his best golf in four years and returning to the site of his last triumph, this week’s WM Phoenix Open seems like the perfect place for Fowler’s return to glory. And with his odds to win sitting at +8000, a Fowler win could turn a modest $10 bet into $800.
WM Phoenix Open odds: The favorites
This week’s Phoenix Open features the most heavy-hitting field of the year so far. That includes the two hottest players in the world, Jon Rahm and Rory McIlroy.
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Rahm, the World No. 3, already has two PGA Tour wins in 2023 at the Sentry Tournament of Champions and the American Express. McIlroy, the World No. 1, won his last PGA Tour start in October at the CJ Cup and last week at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic. Both stars have matching +800 odds to win the Phoenix Open.
Other players in the top 10 to keep an eye on include Scottie Scheffler (+1200), who is the defending champion this week, and Max Homa (+2200), who already has two wins this season, including at the Farmers Insurance Open last month.
You can see the top 15 in WM Phoenix Open betting odds as of Monday afternoon below, or head over to BetMGM to see the full list of odds and bets for this week.
2023 WM Phoenix Open betting odds (Top 15 and ties)
Jon Rahm (+800)
Rory McIlroy (+800)
Scottie Scheffler (+1200)
Xander Schauffele (+1600)
Patrick Cantlay (+1800)
Collin Morikawa (+2000)
Tony Finau (+2000)
Justin Thomas (+2200)
Max Homa (+2200)
Cameron Young (+2800)
Hideki Matsuyama (+2800)
Sungjae Im (+2800)
Tom Kim (+3000)
Matt Fitzpatrick (+3300)
Viktor Hovland (+3300)
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