It’s the biggest week of the year for appetizers, and there’s no better lead-in to the Super Bowl than the rowdiest crowd in golf at the WM Phoenix Open. Once again staged at the infamous TPC Scottsdale, where birdies are celebrated like touchdowns, a loaded field tries to conquer the iconic closing stretch and earn a place in tournament lore among the well-lubricated desert faithful.
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The most dominant force in professional golf, World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, returns to Scottsdale fresh off a win at The American Express and as a two-time WM Phoenix Open champion. He’ll be challenged by a mix of past winners and hungry young talent, all eager to catch him during a rare week when he might not have his best.
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Welcome to “The People’s Open,” an electric and marquee stop on the PGA Tour, played on a golf course that demands aggression and delivers fireworks.
Let’s break down the top 10 contenders to watch on golf’s loudest stage at the 2026 WM Phoenix Open.
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10. Pierceson Coody
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Orlando Ramirez
Here’s a name you might not have expected to see in the power rankings, but Pierceson Coody makes the list as a legitimate contender. Scottsdale is a driver-heavy golf course, and Coody tops the field in strokes gained/off the tee on this type of setup, as evidenced by leading the field in that metric last week at Torrey Pines.
He’s finished comfortably inside the top 20 in all three tournaments this season after being elevated from the Korn Ferry Tour. Coody should dominate the par 5s, and he’ll become a household name if he can potentially slay the dragon in the desert.
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9. Xander Schauffele
Schauffele cemented himself as the third member of the “big three” in 2024, winning two major championships, but nothing has quite felt the same since. A missed cut in front of local friends and family last week at Torrey Pines ended his streak of 72 consecutive cuts made on the PGA Tour, the fifth-best mark of all time.
He’s presented with a great opportunity to bounce back this week on a comfort course at TPC Scottsdale, where he’s recorded four top-10-or-better finishes in his past five appearances. He could use a jumpstart to his 2026 campaign, and he possesses all the tools to succeed on the biggest stages.
8. Chris Gotterup
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Orlando Ramirez
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If you’re still sleeping on Chris Gotterup, you need a better alarm clock. His dominant win at the Sony Open to start the year marked his second victory in his past 10 starts. He’s repeatedly put himself in the mix on Sundays and has shown the ability to close when opportunities arise.
TPC Scottsdale emphasizes the importance of gaining strokes off the tee, and no one is better than Gotterup at the moment. He’s gained in that department in 15 consecutive starts and shows no signs of slowing down.
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7. Ben Griffin
The breakout star of the 2025 PGA Tour season looks to carry that momentum into a new year. At this time last season, Griffin was ranked No. 63 in the world. He’s now up to No. 9—that’s what three PGA Tour wins in a calendar year can do.
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He’d rank higher here if not for slightly diminishing returns with his approach play and underwhelming course history at TPC Scottsdale. That said, he’s a proven contender with high-end upside, and Griffin is now capable of winning any week on the PGA Tour.
6. Sam Burns
TPC Scottsdale provides players with some of the purest and fastest greens on tour. With a proven track record of elite putting, Sam Burns sees more putts from 8-15 feet find the bottom of the cup than anyone in the field.
Occasionally volatile with his ball-striking, that hasn’t been the case at this venue. Burns has posted a T-6 and T-3 finish over the past three years at the WM Phoenix Open, and his vastly improved proximity numbers with wedges should provide ample opportunities to do what he does best…hole putts.
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5. Brooks Koepka
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Orlando Ramirez
One of just three players in the field with multiple wins at the WM Phoenix Open, this has long been one of the rare PGA Tour stops where Koepka boasts a proven track record. He performed adequately at the Farmers Insurance Open, posting solid ball-striking metrics, but struggled with the putter all week.
Have no fear, put Koepka inside the raucous cauldron in Scottsdale, and history suggests the putter will cooperate. He’s never lost strokes putting in his five career starts at this event. Needing high-level results to secure a spot in signature events, Koepka arrives with one thing on his mind: winning.
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4. Hideki Matsuyama
Checking in at No. 4 is another two-time WM Phoenix Open champion in Hideki Matsuyama, who hoisted the glass trophy in both 2016 and 2017, winning via playoff on each occasion.
Matsuyama is an ideal course fit, regularly dominating with his approach play from 150-200 yards while flashing brilliant touch around the greens. If he can summon a net-positive week with the putter, we could be on the precipice of win No. 3 in the desert.
3. Si Woo Kim
After struggling at this event early in his career, Si Woo Kim has since figured out this unique Tom Weiskopf design. In his past four WM Phoenix Open starts, his worst finish is T-26, gaining a combined +22.5 strokes on the field.
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But let’s not bury the lede, Si Woo Kim is scorching hot. He’s finished sixth or better in four of his past five starts and led through 54 holes at The American Express two weeks ago. He was exceptional tee to green again last week at Torrey Pines, notching a runner-up finish, so confidence is at an all-time high.
2. Cameron Young
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Orlando Ramirez
A deeper look at the numbers behind Young’s T-22 finish at the Farmers Insurance Open has me optimistic about staying aboard the Cam Young wagon. He gained +5.3 strokes tee to green and now arrives at a tournament where he leads the field in putting at TPC Scottsdale over the past two seasons.
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Despite his prodigious power, Young has posted some of his best results on shorter golf courses. He should be able to bomb it all over the driver-heavy Stadium Course, giving himself consistent looks at difficult pin locations with wedges. I’m predicting a monster year for Young, and it starts this week.
1. Scottie Scheffler
He’s the most dominant player in professional golf since Tiger Woods, notching his 14th PGA Tour win in a 35-start stretch a few weeks ago at The American Express. He’s lifting trophies on Sundays at an outrageous 40-percent clip over that span, proving he’s more than deserving of +190 outright odds.
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Victories here in 2022 and 2023 further cement his status as the undisputed top player in the field. Scheffler wears down opponents time and again, bludgeoning pins with calculated aggression and precision while remaining seemingly immune to pressure and environment. He’s built for this stage, and the throne belongs to Scottie.
Joe Idone is a Read The Line contributor and host of the Preferred Lines podcast.
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