The PGA TOUR travels to Arizona this week for the WM Phoenix Open at the Stadium Course (par 71, 7,261 yards, poa trivialis/bentgrass /ryegrass overseed greens) of TPC Scottsdale. This venue has been the home of the WM Phoenix Open since 1987 and at this event last year, Thomas Detry (-24) ran away with a seven-shot victory. There will be 121 players competing at the Phoenix Open this week and there will be a top-65 and ties cut after the first two rounds.
TPC Scottsdale is a desert par 71 that presents large greens, 67 bunkers and water in play on six holes. TPC Scottsdale is a driver-heavy design where targeting strong drivers of the golf ball is wise. Of the last five winners at this track, four have finished the event top-18 in SG OTT. More importantly, playing well with both your irons and putter is essential at TPC Scottsdale, as for three straight years, the winner at this par 71 has finished the tournament top-12 in both SG APP and SGP, with Detry ranking top-two in both categories last season.
We also need to be targeting efficient par four scorers at TPC Scottsdale, particularly players who score well on 400-450-yard par fours, as five of the 11 par fours at TPC Scottsdale fall in this range. Each of the last four Phoenix Open victors notably have led their fields in par four efficiency and three of these winners ranked top-five in 400-450-yard par four efficiency.
Below, I have featured four of my favorite DraftKings bargain plays for the WM Phoenix Open, which all cost less than $7.5K.
Set your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups here: PGA TOUR $1M People’s Open Special [$200K to 1st]
Top DraftKings PGA TOUR DFS Bargain Plays for the Waste Management Phoenix Open
Keith Mitchell ($7,400) – Mitchell is an excellent driver, finishing 12th in total driving last season and his strengths in that department have translated into plenty of success at TPC Scottsdale. The bomber has only missed one cut in seven starts at this par 71 and four of these finishes have been top-25 results.
Mitchell carded a 5-under 66 during the second round of his T-24 finish at last year’s Phoenix Open and after finishing T-11 at the Farmers Insurance Open last week, Mitchell has made six cuts in a row. The 34-year-old finished fourth in SG APP at Torrey Pines last week and another top-25 finish at TPC Scottsdale is on the table for Mitchell this week if he can continue to strike the ball at a high level.
Patrick Rodgers ($7,300) – While Rodgers hasn’t been reliable at TPC Scottsdale, making 3-of-9 cuts, all three of those finishes have been top-20 results and given his strong form, the Stanford product brings that type of upside this week. Rodgers has only missed one cut in his last seven starts with five top-30 finishes during this run, most impressively with a third-place finish at the Sony Open three weeks ago.
Only once in his last 17 rounds has Rodgers shot over par and when we analyze this field’s last 24 rounds, he ranks sixth in total strokes gained.
Tony Finau ($7,100) – After some poor play to start the season, Finau came alive at the Farmers Insurance Open last week, finishing T-11. Finau ranked ninth in SG APP at Torrey Pines and he carded a 6-under 66 at the South Course to conclude this event, which is Finau’s lowest score since August.
Finau’s love for Torrey Pines was obviously a big factor, but nonetheless, seeing him finish high on the leaderboard was very encouraging and looking to build off this performance, Finau is a strong GPP play at TPC Scottsdale. In his last three starts at this track, Finau has finished runner-up, MC and T-14.
Adam Schenk ($6,200) – Schenk impressed at the Farmers Insurance Open last week, finishing T-11. Outside of around the greens, the 34-year-old gained strokes in every major category at Torrey Pines and he shot under par in all four of his rounds.
While this snapped a three-missed cut streak for Schenk, he has made six of his last nine cuts, four of which have been top-30 finishes, including his breakthrough win at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship in November. Schenk clearly is underpriced for his talent and he also has been great at TPC Scottsdale, finishing inside the top-25 at each of the last three Phoenix Opens. Another high finish at TPC Scottsdale is possible for Schenk this week and he needs to be included in your player pool at this very low $6,200 salary.
