Betting Trends for the Waste Management Phoenix Open

The PGA Tour stops in Scottsdale, AZ this week for the Waste Management Phoenix Open, and BetMGM provided some interesting betting trends ahead of the tournament.

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Highest Ticket Percentage

Jordan Spieth 7.2 percentJon Rahm 6.6 percentJustin Thomas 6.4 percentViktor Hovland 5.2 percentBrooks Koepka 4.9 percentHideki Matsuyama 4.7 percentXander Schauffele 4.5 percentScottie Scheffler 4.5 percentRickie Fowler 2.9 percentSam Burns 2.8 percent

Highest Handle Percentage

Jon Rahm 14.9 percentJustin Thomas 10.5 percentJordan Spieth 8.2 percentViktor Hovland 5.6 percentXander Schauffele 5.3 percentBrooks Koepka 4.9 percentHideki Matsuyama 4.7 percentScottie Scheffler 4.1 percentSam Burns 3.4 percentTony Finau 3.0 percent

There’s little surprise here with the majority of the favorites receiving the majority of the tickets and handle.

SEE ALSO: SBR's WM Phoenix Open Expert Picks

However, there were four particular notables excluded from the previous lists. 

Patrick Cantlay (2.6 ticket percentage and 2.3 handle percentage)Bubba Watson (1.9 and 1.6)Louis Oosthuizen (1.8 and 1.5)Daniel Berger (1.3 and 1.3)

Cantley (+1400) has three consecutive top-10 finishes after winning the Tour Championship and FedEx Cup last year, so it’s a little surprising he’s outside the top 10 in both categories. However, he’s never played at the Waste Management before, so a lack of course history could be keeping his popularity in check.

Watson (+4000), on the other hand, has made the trip to Scottsdale each of the past 12 years and with a lot of success. He’s finished second twice and inside the top 5 five times while only missing the cut once. The lefty also finished second in the Saudi International last weekend.

Oosthuizen (+4000) wasn’t as successful in Saudi Arabia. The South African missed the cut, and he’s also only played the WMPO twice, finishing 11th last year and third in 2017. Considering his pedigree and moderately long odds, he was definitely a candidate to receive higher ticket and handle counts.

With 13 consecutive cuts made, Berger (+2500) has been giving himself consistent opportunities to earn his seventh victory on tour with six top-10 finishes during the stretch. This will be his eighth trip to the Waste Management, and he’s missed the cut in two of the past three visits. He finished ninth in 2020, though.

SEE ALSO: WM Phoenix Open Picks and Preview

Line Movement

Justin Thomas opened +1400, now +1200Scottie Scheffler opened +2800, now +2500Brooks Koepka opened +3000, now +3300Keith Mitchell opened +8000 now +6600Aaron Wise opened +12500 now +8000Francesco Molinari opened +15000 now +12500

Seeing favorites Justin Thomas and Scottie Scheffler dip in odds isn’t overly surprising, as they've both received a lot of attention and wagers. However, defending champion and popular pick Brooks Koepka seeing his odds climb does stand out. 

Mitchell, Wise and Molinari round out the notable line movements, and all three have tour wins on their respective resumes. They’ve topped out at 16th, 66th and 22nd at the Waste Management, though.

SEE ALSO: WM Phoenix Open Matchup and Prop Picks

Longshots

Here are the longshots receiving the largest handle:

Rickie Fowler (+8000)Aaron Wise (+8000)Francesco Molinari (+12500)Cam Davis (+15000)Mito Pereira (+12500)Andrew Putnam (+8000)Gary Woodland (+9000)Joel Dahmen (+8000)Pat Perez (+8000)Charley Hoffman (+15000)

Make sure to keep an eye on our Live Odds page throughout the week to get the best lines possible and connect with others in the SBR community on our popular sports betting forum.