Fantasy Golf Predictions
Fantasy Golf Picks, Odds, and Predictions – 2021 Waste Management Phoenix Open
Fantasy Golf Picks, Odds, and Predictions for the 2021 Waste Management Phoenix Open
The 2021 Waste Management Phoenix Open Fantasy Preview
You have to hand it to Patrick Reed: he’s his own man, and to hell with what anybody else thinks about him.
Once again, the former Masters champion was embroiled in controversy at the Farmers Insurance Open, moving an embedded ball without first getting the green light from a rules official. It drew ire from social media and even his fellow pros, with Xander Schauffele insinuating that Reed was ‘protected’ by the PGA TOUR and Lanto Griffin declaring he was ‘p***** off’ with the 30-year-old’s antics.
So did Reed let the whole fiasco get him down? Not a bit of it, and in fact it seemed to spur him on as he wrapped up a comfy five-shot victory at Torrey Pines.
Controversy aside, it was another fun tournament on the West Coast, and this week we move inland somewhat to the Arizonan desert for the Waste Management Phoenix Open.
Last Week’s Fantasy Results
Jon Rahm was our horse last week and he ended up finishing the week T7 with 19 birdies but his Saturday-Sunday 72s hurt his chances of catching Reed late.
A Rahm-Palmer-Reed combo would have been a nice package, as Palmer who finished T2 was our top pick on our Tuesday Sleeper Report.
The 2021 Waste Management Phoenix Open Field
Rory McIlroy tees it up for the first time at TPC Scottsdale, and he will be looking to overcome a trend for course form specialists at this slice of Arizona.
Jon Rahm, Justin Thomas and defending champion Webb Simpson all have a bank of top-10s to call upon at Scottsdale, while Brooks Koepka, Hideki Matusyama and Gary Woodland have all entered the winner’s circle here.
Add in to the mix Xander Schauffele, Daniel Berger, Sungjae Im and Harris English and you have a premium quality field, and the only sadness is that the grandstand on the famous sixteenth hole won’t be packed to the rafters to see it.
This Week’s Course Preview
Approaching its 35-year anniversary as the host of the Phoenix Open, TPC Scottsdale is a curious old stretch with a benign front nine and a back nine full of character.
Designed by Tom Weiskopf and Jay Morrish, Scottsdale has that exposed, desert feel where the wind can be a factor – although with winning scores regularly reaching the late teens, it’s clear that is of minimal concern.
It’s also worth noting that the layout is poised about 1,500’ above sea level, and so drives tend to travel a good bit further than they would normally – on a 7,266 yard Par 71, that extra length creates opportunities.
There are some obstacles dotted around, including some pretty deep bunkers and water in play on six holes. But on the whole, the average-width fairways are receptive and the Bermuda greens – which are slick at around 12 on the stimp – are largely unprotected.
While it’s a largely standard front nine, the closing stretch of holes ensures a grandstand finish. The fifteenth is a classic risk and reward Par 5, with a dangerous tee shot and the potential for a lengthy attack of the green with your second shot.
And then you have the infamous sixteenth, which is normally a colosseum-effect with tens thousand or more patrons creating a rowdy atmosphere that can create shaky knees on the tee – or unforgettable moments when an ace is sunk.
The seventeenth is a drivable Par 4 that offers a proper test of ball-striking – water left and sand right means only straight hitters can hope for an eagle opportunity.
The drive on eighteen is a nervy affair with a wide body of water to the left and a thin fairway to find, before a testing approach into a sloping green. It’s a fantastic finale!
Weather Forecast for Scottsdale, AZ
It’s quintessential desert golf this week.
The sun is up, and the mercury will hit 73˚F in the afternoons, although it’s worth remembering that it can be a bit chilly in the morning – 50˚F isn’t all that pleasant to be playing in.
There’s pretty much no chance of rain – precipitation is quoted at a 10% possibility on Thursday, which is as high as it gets for the whole week.
And the wind seems pretty benign as well, with the breeze getting up no higher than 7 mph.
Last Year’s Results for the Waste Management Phoenix Open
A nerveless approach to the challenging seventeenth and eighteenth yielded birdies for Webb Simpson on the Sunday last year, and that booked him a spot in a play-off against Tony Finau.
Could Finau finally claim that PGA TOUR title that he has spent an eternity chasing? Sadly not, as Simpson drained a monster putt on the first extra hole to land his seventh win on the Tour – his eighth would follow thereafter at the RBC Heritage.
Justin Thomas and Bubba Watson were both knocking on the door with excellent rounds on the Sunday, however they had to settle for a top-five finish alongside Nate Lashley.
Webb Simpson shoots 2-under 69 | Round 4 | Waste Management 2020
No Description
Where to Play Fantasy Golf for the 2021 Waste Management Phoenix Open this Week
It’s a fantastic event this week, and the slate of contests reflects the exciting field that will meet for the battle at a unique track like TPC Scottsdale.
- PGA $750k Flop Shot: The top tier contest on the slate this week is this Flop Shot battle, where you’ll play for a $750k prize kitty from your $15 entry – there’s a top prize of $200k on the table.
- PGA $150k Drive the Green: For gamers on a tighter budget, this $5 entry affair serves up stacks of scaling-up opportunities, from the $50 minimum for the top 100 players and $25k to the winner.
This Week’s Fantasy Notes for the 2021 Waste Management Phoenix Open
A look at the rollcall of recent winners at the Phoenix Open offers up the insight we need to begin our shortlisting process.
Simpson, Fowler, Woodland, Matsuyama, Koepka and so on….these are all quality tee-to-green merchants for whom it can click on the greens, and so we need to get as many of the classy operators on side as possible.
It’s rare for a West Coast event to have Bermuda greens, and that is an interesting dichotomy given the unusual combination of conditions and surface.
In theory, Scottsdale favors those who can give it a rip off the tee, but with Simpson on the ledger of winners alongside Vijay Singh and others, there are other ways to get the job done.
For fans of such things, consider the curious correlation between the Phoenix Open and two other PGA TOUR events – the Memorial Tournament and the Honda Classic. There are stacks of players who have performed well in two or more of these events, and you can of course check those out at your leisure. A cursory glance at the Honda in particular, which is played at an exposed, windy track on Bermuda, could prove helpful.
[membership level=”0″]
Our Top 5 (and Top 2 Sleeper) Fantasy Picks and Odds to Win the 2021 Waste Management Phoenix Open
You must be a Premium Member to view our exclusive fantasy golf picks.
Already a member? Sign in Here.
[/membership]
[membership level=”1,2,3″]
Top 5 Picks/Odds to Win The 2021 Waste Management Phoenix Open
Top Tier Pick #1:
Jon Rahm (Odds: 7/1, FPPG: 91.0, GPFP: 72.80 Salary: $11,200)
With wins on the West Coast, in the deserts of Dubai and with no finish lower than T16 in five trips to Scottsdale, Jon Rahm is the obvious – but necessary – headline play this week.
The Arizona State graduate simply loves it in this part of the world, and far from being a jolly stroll down memory lane Rahm has really made it count at Scottsdale….apart from lifting this trophy, that is.
But we liked the Spaniard’s performance at the Farmers last week, where he remained there or thereabouts throughout the week despite concerns over a bad back and new equipment in the bag.
Another week on, and Rahm – heading to one of his favorite haunts – will be desperate to win a title that has frustratingly eluded him thus far.
Key Stats:
- SG: Tee-to-Green – 5th
- Scoring Average – 14th
- Greens in Regulation – 44th
Top Tier Pick #2:
Sungjae Im (Odds: 33/1, FPPG: 79.8, GPFP: 63.83 Salary: $9,400)
We have already mentioned the link between the Phoenix Open and the Memorial Tournament, amongst others, and the history does make for compelling reading.
The defending Memorial champion will be Sungjae Im, of course, and the Korean is playing the sort of golf that could get him back into the winner’s circle sooner rather than later.
The Korean was T2 at The Masters, you may recall, and since then he has followed up with T5 at the Tournament of Champions and T12 at the American Express, so he is very much knocking on the door of another PGA TOUR win.
With a top-10 at TPC Scottsdale, Im is clearly comfortable at this venue and he certainly has the all-round game to get the job done.
Key Stats:
- SG: Off-the-Tee – 20th
- Birdie Average – 25th
- Greens in Regulation – 36th
Mid-Tier Pick #1:
Max Homa (Odds: 80/1, FPPG: 58.9, GPFP: 49.51 Salary: $7,900)
A pretty below-par start to the new season has given way to something much more positive for Max Homa recently.
T12 at the Mayakoba, T18 at the Farmers and T21 at the American Express are all signs of considerable improvement, and with a top-ten in the tank at TPC Scottsdale there are converging trends that are pleasing on the eye.
A winner on Bermuda in the Wells Fargo Championship, if Homa’s recent ball-striking developments continue he should hopefully be a solid play this week.
Key Stats:
- SG: Off-the-Tee – 14th
- SG: Approach – 30th
- Scoring Average – 36th
Mid-Tier Pick #2:
Luke List (Odds: 110/1, FPPG: 58.7, GPFP: 46.94 Salary: $7,200)
Some outstanding ball-striking from Luke List over the weekend powered him to a top-10 at the Farmers, and that’s handy given that TPC Scottsdale is a venue that should – not that his formline suggests as much – suit his game.
Long off the tee and with an excellent range of approaches through the bag, List has the game to thrive in the desert – if only that flat stick behaves, which it certainly did on Sunday when he gained +2.06 strokes on the greens.
Handily, he has finished as a runner-up at the Honda Classic, one of our correlating events, so the omens are good for the 36-year-old.
Key Stats:
- SG: Off-the-Tee – 7th
- Greens in Regulation – 50th
- Birdie Average – 58th
Low-Tier Pick:
Wyndham Clark (Odds: 150/1, FPPG: 71.1, GPFP: 56.85 Salary: $7,100)
The best round of the 2020 edition of the Phoenix Open, 61, came from the talented hands of Wyndham Clark.
That’s handy, because the Arizona resident produced some excellent golf at Torrey Pines last week, with much straighter hitting off the tee matched by an improvement with irons in hand.
Clark had gained a reputation as something of a bomb-and-gouge merchant in recent times, and while that won’t work at TPC Scottsdale he has shown more versatility in his game lately.
A huge hitter, he may even be persuaded to take some irons off the tee given the extra length caused by the altitude, and that will help him to keep his ball in play more than usual.
Key Stats:
- SG: Around-the-Green – 24th
- Birdie Average – 55th
- Greens in Regulation – 70th
Sleeper Pick for The 2021 Waste Management Phoenix Open
Cameron Champ (Odds: 90/1, FPPG: 59.3, GPFP: 47.42 Salary: $7,600)
What a curious showing from Cameron Champ last week at the Farmers.
He gained more than three strokes on the field with his ball striking, and yet his short game was at local club hacker levels – quite a startling contrast.
So what confidence do we have in Champ this week? Well, the larger greens suggest that less chipping will be required, which is a handy start, and he has won in the past on slippery Bermuda greens at the Country Club of Jackson.
Strong sleeper picks often require a leap of faith, but Champ has the game to really come up trumps for his backers this week.
Key Stats:
- SG: Off-the-Tee – 17th
- Birdie Average – 47th
- SG: Approach – 74th
Alternative Sleeper Pick for The 2021 Waste Management Phoenix Open
Sam Ryder (Odds: 250/1, FPPG: 43.6, GPFP: 34.88 Salary: $6,500)
A fantastic ball-striking performance swept Sam Ryder to a T10 finish at the Farmers – the eighth top-10 of what has been a pretty low-key career thus far.
But he clearly has the skills to be a more prominent figure on the PGA TOUR, and his iron play is such that Ryder should set up plenty of birdie opportunities at TPC Scottsdale this week.
Form shown in California and in the desert of Nevada provides further hope that Ryder can outperform his salary this week.
Key Stats:
- Greens in Regulation – 28th
- SG: Approach – 54th
- SG: Off-the-Tee – 98th
This Week’s Sample DraftKings Lineup
Note: Sample lineups provided as examples only. Be sure to mix-and-match players to best fit individual contests.
[/membership]
Fantasy Golf Predictions This Season (2020-2021)
Remember to visit our private Facebook group to discuss this week’s picks for the 2021 Waste Management Phoenix Open with other Premium Members.
Cover Photo via Instagram
Blind Ranking The Most Iconic Masters Moments
FIRST LOOK: Titleist Unveils New Vokey WedgeWorks Grind Lineup
New Shot Scope LM1: The Best Budget Launch Monitor Under $200?
Did LIV Golf Finally Get its Big Breakthrough?
FIRST LOOK: Titleist’s New GTS Driver Lineup Spotted on Tour
Streamsong Unveils “Bone Valley”: A Bold New Name and Logo for Its Highly Anticipated Fifth Course
Titleist Introduces Limited-Edition Oil Can Finish on T-Series Irons
FIRST LOOK: Titleist’s New GTS Driver Lineup Spotted on Tour
6 Big Changes Coming to the PGA TOUR
New Shot Scope LM1: The Best Budget Launch Monitor Under $200?
We Played This Old Golf Course Where Thomas Edison Was A Member
Are You MEASURING Your Golf Swing Correctly? (This Can Help)
Zach Johnson Explains Why He Didn’t Pick Bryson DeChambeau for the Ryder Cup
Justin Thomas FIRES Coach before Ryder Cup…Who’s Next?
