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.

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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.

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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.

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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!

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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.

SCOTTSDALE WEATHER

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

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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.

Our Top 5 (and Top 2 Sleeper) Fantasy Picks and Odds to Win the 2021 Waste Management Phoenix Open

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Fantasy Golf Predictions This Season (2020-2021)

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