The PGA TOUR travels from California to Arizona this week for the WM Phoenix Open. Since 1987, this fan favorite tournament has been played at the Stadium Course (par 71, 7,261 yards, poa trivialis/bentgrass /ryegrass overseed greens) of TPC Scottsdale. Last year, Nick Taylor (-21) defeated Charley Hoffman in a playoff to win the WM Phoenix Open. This week’s field consists of 132 golfers and there will be a standard top 65 and ties cut after the first two rounds.
TPC Scottsdale is a desert course that is home to huge putting surfaces, narrow fairways, 67 bunkers and water in play on three holes. This par 71 is a driver-heavy course, where strong drivers of the golf ball have an advantage. Of the last five winners at TPC Scottsdale, four have finished the week top-18 in SG OTT. Per usual, elite play with your irons is a necessity at this track, with three of the past five victors of the WM Phoenix Open either leading or finishing runner-up in SG APP for the event.
Lastly, having a strong performance as a par four scorer is a must at TPC Scottsdale, with four of the past five winners of this tournament leading their field in par four efficiency. Five of the 11 par fours at this desert venue fall between 400-450 yards and three of the past five WM Phoenix Open champions have finished the event top three in efficiency on the 400-450-yard par fours of TPC Scottsdale.
Below, I have featured four of my favorite DraftKings bargain plays for the WM Phoenix Open, all priced under $7.5K.
Set your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups here: PGA TOUR $1M People’s Open Special [$200K to 1st]
Lucas Glover ($7,400) – Glover was in the mix for a win at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am last week, finishing T-3 while finishing the event second in SG APP. Glover has only missed one cut in his last nine starts and his performance at Pebble Beach marked his fourth top-13 finish during this time frame. Glover’s ball striking has been immaculate, with him ranking first in SG APP when we compare this field’s last 24 rounds. Additionally, he ranks 11th in SGP during this span, which is an extremely encouraging sign, as Glover’s work on the greens has always been his main weakness.
The former U.S. Open champion has gained strokes with his flat stick in four consecutive starts and with Glover in this type of form, he is a must-have value play at TPC Scottsdale. At this par 71, Glover has made 12-of-15 cuts.
Charley Hoffman ($7,200) – Hoffman owns an impressive resume at TPC Scottsdale. His runner-up finish at last year’s WM Phoenix Open is his second runner-up at TPC Scottsdale and the sixth time he has finished inside the top-30 at the par 71. Hoffman has made 13-of-18 cuts at this course and he returns to Scottsdale as the maker of 10 of his last 11 cuts. Hoffman’s two most recent finishes have been a T-5 at the American Express and a T-25 at the Farmers Open.
Hoffman has collectively gained strokes OTT and APP at three events in a row, and he is a stellar value play at this cheap salary.
Gary Woodland ($7,100) – Woodland quietly continues to play excellent golf. Returning to the site of his U.S. Open win in 2019, Woodland posted a T-22 at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am last week, which is his fourth top-30 finish in his last six starts. Woodland has only missed two cuts in his past 11 starts and he is a previous winner at TPC Scottsdale, winning the 2018 WM Phoenix Open in a playoff.
Woodland has made 10-of-15 cuts and tallied five top-30 finishes at the desert track, and he ranks top-18 in both SG APP and SG OTT when we compare this field’s last 24 rounds. Woodland has top-20 upside this week and is a steal at this low price tag.
Editor’s Note: Matt Kuchar has withdrawn from the WM Phoenix Open.
Matt Kuchar ($7,100) – Kuchar has advanced to the weekend in eight of his last 10 starts and six of these finishes have been top-30 results. The 46-year-old’s recent resurgence has been a result of Kuchar striking the ball at an elite level. The veteran has only failed to gain strokes on approach once in his last 14 starts and he ranks seventh in SG APP over his past 24 rounds.
As for his history at TPC Scottsdale, Kuchar has been awesome at this famous track, making 11 of his last 13 cuts at the par 71, including four top-10 finishes. At only $7,100, Kuchar is a sensational value play that can’t be ignored.
