The PGA Tour heads to Scottsdale, Arizona, for the 2026 WM Phoenix Open. Scottie Scheffler returns to headline this field of 123 golfers, and he’s an even shorter betting favorite at +200 than he was during his season debut at The American Express.
Golfers will only play the TPC Scottsdale Stadium Course after back-to-back events across multiple courses. This par 71 runs 7,261 yards, with large Bermudagrass greens that are 7,000 square feet on average.
12 feet on the Stimpmeter is the standard pace on these greens, while the rough sits at 3.5 inches. The forecast projects favorable conditions, meaning we should see low scores. Last year’s winner, Thomas Detry, carded 24-under-par to beat the field by seven strokes.
My 2026 Farmers Insurance Open Picks & Predictions: Best PGA Bets settled 2-1 for a profitable outing at Torrey Pines this past weekend. Ryan Gerard’s hot play continued, carding a T11 finish to cash his T20 Finishing Position prop at +175 odds. Jason Day beat Keegan Bradley by one stroke to win his 72 Hole Matchbet prop at -125 odds.
The lone loss came backing Taylor Pendrith as an underdog against Si Woo Kim. The Canadian missed the cut, while Kim logged a runner-up finish.
I’m back with three PGA best bets ahead of Round 1 on Thursday during the WM Phoenix Open. Follow me on X at Matt_MacKay_ for more free bets and PGA Tour analysis throughout the 2026 PGA Tour season.
WM Phoenix Open (2026): Best Bets
(Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook)
Top 20 Finishing Position
Jake Knapp enters the 2026 WM Phoenix Open with a lot of momentum. The 31-year-old has recorded T11 and T5 finishes at the Sony Open and Farmers Insurance Open.
Now, Knapp seeks to improve upon a pedestrian T44 finish at TPC Scottsdale last year. In 2026, Knapp is ranked ninth in total strokes gained. This includes 18th SG: Off-the-Tee, fifth SG: Putting, and seventh scrambling.
His approach shot metrics sit outside the top 100, which could become an issue at a shorter, precision course like TPC Scottsdale. However, his driver and short game can overcome any inconsistency with his approach shots in the Desert this week.
Let’s bet on Jake Knapp to log a third consecutive Top 20 Finish at +170 odds.
Pick: Jake Knapp (+170)
Top 20 Finishing Position
Another golfer playing well through the early stages of 2026 is Si Woo Kim. The South Korean native has gone T11-T6-T2 in all three of his starts on the PGA Tour.
Kim finished just outside the top 20 at the 2025 WM Phoenix Open, carding a T21 finish. This year, he’s ranked fourth SG: Approach, which will be huge for a course like TPC Scottsdale.
Also ranked 10th in total strokes gained, 28th SG: Off-the-Tee, sixth in driving accuracy, and fourth in proximity. Despite his putter sitting outside the top 100 in strokes gained, Kim is eighth in birdie average and par 4 scoring, while sixth in scoring average.
Kim logged a T12 finish at the 2024 WM Phoenix Open, so we’ve seen him have success on this course before. Let’s bet on Kim’s tee-to-green accuracy to record a fourth straight Top 20 Finish at plus odds.
Pick: Si Woo Kim (+110)
72 Hole Matchbet Kurt Kitayama vs. Wyndham Clark
We’ll wrap up with a 72 Hole Matchbet prop between Kurt Kitayama and Wyndham Clark. Oddsmakers favor Kitayama at -120, creating value on Clark at -110 odds.
Kitayama logged a forgettable T49 finish at the 2025 WM Phoenix Open. Clark fared much better with a T16 finish, going -7-under-par in Round 1 and -4-under-par in Round 4.
In 2026, Clark has a T20 finish, posting a T13 at The American Express. Kitayama went T40 at The Sony Open, before missing the cut at The American Express.
Clark ranks 25th in driving distance, 55th SG: Putting, while also enjoying top-40 marks in sand save rate, scrambling, and approach shots from 200+ yards.
Kitayama is also a bomber off the tee. However, the NorCal native is 127th SG: Putting and 132nd on approach shots from 200+ yards. He’s accurate tee-to-green, which is why Clark is a slight underdog.
However, the wrong golfer is favored in this 72 Hole Matchbet market. Clark is averaging 5.00 birdies per round and is 37th on par 4s. He’s capable of getting hot on the greens.
Let’s back Wyndham Clark to beat Kurt Kitayama for our final PGA best bet at the 2026 WM Phoenix Open.
Pick: Wyndham Clark (-110)
