WMPO: Perhaps no event on the schedule has carved out a niche quite like the one owned by this week’s tournament, the aptly named Waste Management Phoenix Open, a four-day boozefest where decorum and traditional golf etiquette take a backseat to jackassery and good old-fashioned fun… at least when it comes to the gallery. Between the ropes it will pretty much be business as usual, that is, until the players reach the par-3 16th, an otherwise nondescript hole that has become the epicenter for the craziness that defines this event. The entire hole is encircled by grandstands to create a stadium-like effect, and for one shot, and one shot only, the unspoken contract between the players and the gallery in relation to etiquette and shutting the f*%# up when a shot is being struck is suspended, and the crowd will chant, taunt, cheer, and jeer the competitors. Most guys are good sports about it and play up the atmosphere, and if there are a few out there who don’t like it, they know to keep quiet, lest they become a target of the mob.
Of course, this week is about more than the circus outside the ropes, as this tournament has produced many a dramatic finish over the years, and especially in the past decade, with 6 of the last 10 editions being decided by a playoff. Last year’s champion Thomas Detry had no need for a playoff after firing a blistering 24-under 260 to win by a cool 7 shots, but behind Detry it was all bunched up as usual, with only 2 strokes separating runner-up and 8th place.
The venue, TPC Scottsdale’s Stadium Course, has played host to this event since 1987 and has changed very little over the years, which is a testament to the quality of the Tom Weiskopf/ Jay Morrish design. A par-71 that measures 7,261 yards, it’s a “grip it and rip it” type of track that tempts the longer players to challenge fairway bunkers and the native desert vegetation. If the bombers are swinging the driver well the course turns into a wedge-fest, with the typical winning score hovering in the 15-20 under range. Detry’s performance last year was truly masterful, and he was the second straight triple-digit longshot to win here after Nick Taylor pulled it off in 2024. That said, there’s a certain guy at the top of the market this week who might make a threepeat for the outsiders unlikely…
WIN MARKET
Recommendations to BACK (odds in parenthesis)
Scottie Scheffler (3.6)- I should’ve backed him at the AmEx, his last start. I regret not doing so. Figured he’d probably win, and, lo and behold, he won by 4, with his third-round 68 being his worst score of the week. At this point there’s simply no question that we haven’t seen anything like Scheffler since prime Tiger, and maybe not his brand of tee-to-green consistency since prime Nicklaus. The man is simply better than the competition, a fact which he knows and which does not make him uncomfortable or nervous in the least. Did I mention that he won this event in back-to-back years, in 2022 and 2023? Ignore the short price… it will likely be a lot shorter come the weekend. Take a ride on the winning horse.
Maverick McNealy (42.0)- McNealy is an ascending player who is a good bet to pick up his second career win at some point in the near future. A West Coast guy, he’s got a great record west of the Mississippi and especially in the desert, and he’s found the top-10 in this event in each of the past two years (T6 in ’24, T9 in ’25), so he clearly has a fondness for TPC Scottsdale. The excellent form he displayed to close out the 2025 campaign seems to have carried over to this year, as he’s off to a good start with a T24 at the Sony and a 10th-place showing at the Farmers last week. There are a lot of indications that McNealy might be poised for a big week, and who knows, Scheffler may get arrested on the way to the course again.
Daniel Berger (110.0)- Though Berger has yet to fully return to his pre-injury form, when he was one of the bright up-and-coming American stars, he has flashed on occasion and as recently as two weeks ago, when he finished T6 at the Sony. We’re only a couple of events in, but Berger currently ranks 5th on Tour in distance from edge of fairway and 12th in GIR percentage, which means he’s got the ball on a string right now. That should serve him well at TPC Scottsdale, a place that has to be among his favorite stops on the schedule given his record in this tournament, which includes four finishes of 11th or better in his past eight appearances, including a runner-up last year. It’s a horses for courses kinda Tour, and Berger is an excellent horse for this particular course. I suggest we act accordingly.
