If Scottie Scheffler is able to finish on top of the leaderboard this week at the 2023 WM Phoenix Open, he’ll become the first golfer since Hideki Matsuyama (2016-17) to win this event in back-to-back years. Scheffler will have to stave off a number of serious contenders if he wants to rewrite the history books. Matsuyama, Jordan Spieth, Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy and Justin Thomas are among the experienced players looking to dethrone Scheffler and win the WM Phoenix Open 2023.

Play gets underway from TPC Scottsdale on Thursday, Feb. 9. McIlroy enters this week’s event as the 8-1 favorite according to the latest 2023 WM Phoenix Open odds. He’s followed by Rahm (17-2), Xander Schauffele (14-1), Scheffler (15-1), Tony Finau (18-1) and Collin Morikawa (18-1) on the PGA odds board. Before making any 2023 WM Phoenix Open picks, be sure you check out the PGA Tour predictions and best bets from SportsLine golf insider Patrick McDonald.

After spending time at FanSided and NBC Sports EDGE, McDonald joined CBS Sports as a golf writer in the spring of 2022. Now covering the sport from a broader perspective, McDonald still likes to dip his toes into the betting pools on a weekly basis on the PGA Tour. McDonald takes a measured approach to his outright selections and is having a profitable 2022-23 season. He nailed the Farmers Insurance Open, backing Max Homa (25-1) as his top choice. The expert also just missed a massive 130-1 score at the Sony Open when Hayden Buckley finished as runner-up. He hit another 25-1 shot at the Houston Open, taking Tony Finau to win.

McDonald is up almost 29 units this season, meaning a profit of nearly $2,900 for $100 bettors. McDonald also has been on the money on his matchup plays and cashed in huge on Brendan Steele (80-1) as the first-round leader at the Zozo Championship. The expert finished the 2021-22 season up 42 units on his outrights, including a monster 250-1 payout on Hudson Swafford at The American Express. Anyone who follows McDonald’s advice has been cashing in big.

Now, McDonald has studied the 2023 WM Phoenix Open field and has locked in his best bets, top sleepers and favorites to avoid. You can head to SportsLine now to see all of McDonald’s PGA picks and analysis.

Top 2023 WM Phoenix Open expert picks

One stunning prediction from McDonald: He is fading Justin Thomas as the two-time major champion continues to find his footing. McDonald says he doesn’t measure up to the favorites in this field, and while his short game has kept him competitive, he is rarely in real contention. The 29-year-old hasn’t finished in the top 10 in a full-field event since last June. Thomas has shot 70 or higher in six of his past eight rounds, including three straight of 72 or worse. He ranks 85th in strokes gained total and 179th in putting and is “a shell of his former self,” McDonald told SportsLine.

On the other hand, the expert is eager to see how McIlroy follows up his dominance in Europe. The 33-year-old’s only appearance on the PGA Tour this season was a victory at the CJ Cup. He has finished in the top five in all six events since the Tour Championship, which he also won. His last outing on the DP World Tour was a victory at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic on Jan. 28, so he certainly deserves to be the favorite. McIlroy led the tour in scoring average last season (68.670) and was first in strokes gained total, ranking third off the tee and 16th in putting. You can see who he is backing this week at SportsLine.

How to make 2023 WM Phoenix Open golf picks

McDonald has locked in his best bets for the 2023 WM Phoenix Open and he has three longshots of more than 30-1, including one massive triple-digit underdog. This golfer is “completely mispriced” and has played well lately at Scottsdale. You can only see the picks at SportsLine.

So which 2023 WM Phoenix Open players should you target or avoid? And which golfer in the WM Phoenix Open 2023 field could bring a massive payday of around 100-1? Check out the odds below, then visit SportsLine to see Patrick McDonald’s top prop picks for WM Phoenix Open 2023, all from the expert who is up almost $2,900 on his PGA Tour picks this season.

2023 WM Phoenix Open odds, field, top contenders

See McDonald’s picks, best bets and predictions here.

Rory McIlroy +800
Jon Rahm +850
Xander Schauffele +1400
Scottie Scheffler +1500
Tony Finau +1800
Collin Morikawa +1800
Patrick Cantlay +2100
Justin Thomas +2100
Max Homa +2100
Sungjae Im +2700
Viktor Hovland +2700
Hideki Matsuyama +2800
Tom Kim +2800
Cameron Young +2900
Jordan Spieth +3100
Matthew Fitzpatrick +3700
Sam Burns +4200
Sahith Theegala +4500
Tyrrell Hatton +5000
Shane Lowry +5000
Tommy Fleetwood +5500
Rickie Fowler +6000
Billy Horschel +6000
Taylor Montgomery +6000
Keegan Bradley +6000
Alex Noren +6500
Si Woo Kim +7500
Corey Conners +7500
Jason Day +7500
Seamus Power +8500
Russell Henley +8500
Aaron Wise +8500
K.H. Lee +9500
Tom Hoge +9500
Lucas Herbert +9500
Maverick Mcnealy +9500
Keith Mitchell +9500
Chris Kirk +10000
Brian Harman +10000
Taylor Pendrith +10000
J.T. Poston +10000
Gary Woodland +10000
Denny McCarthy +10000
J.J. Spaun +11000
Kurt Kitayama +11000
Matt Kuchar +12000
Brendan Steele +12000
Andrew Putnam +12000
Brendon Todd +14000
Davis Thompson +14000
Christiaan Bezuidenhout +14000
Adam Hadwin +14000
Wyndham Clark +15000
Harris English +15000
Francesco Molinari +16000
Webb Simpson +16000
Joel Dahmen +17000
Scott Stallings +17000
Beau Hossler +17000
Davis Riley +18000
Garrick Higgo +19000
Luke List +20000
Russell Knox +21000
Cameron Champ +21000
Ryan Palmer +21000
Hayden Buckley +21000
Sam Ryder +21000
Patrick Rodgers +22000
Emiliano Grillo +22000
MacKenzie Hughes +23000
Trey Mullinax +24000
Mark Hubbard +25000
Matthew NeSmith +25000
Martin Laird +25000
Kevin Kisner +25000