Phil Mickelson Favored In Waste Management Phoenix Open

Sports News - February 24th, 2010 - Written By Bryan Cross

The PGA Tour stays on the west coast this week, with the Waste Management Phoenix Open, at TPC Scottsdale in Arizona. Last week at the Ritz Carlton GC at Dove Mountain, Ian Poulter survived the grueling match play format in the 64 player field to claim the biggest victory in his career.

This week gets back to medal play, and TPC Scottsdale will be a formidable opponent to the players in the field. With a nostalgic placement in the Sonoran Desert, situated near the McDowell Mountains, TPC Scottsdale is both beautiful and abstruse.

At 7,216 yards in length, the par 71 golf course ranked 27th in difficulty out of the 51 courses played on the 2009 PGA Tour. While the rough should not be a nuisance to players this week, they will have to battle the intricacies on the tricky velvet bent-grass greens. Players this week will have to execute their approach shots with precise distance control and trajectory.

After taking off last week at the WGC Accenture Match Play for a family vacation, Phil Mickelson is back at TPC Scottsdale headlining the field. The left-hander has not played up to his standards this year, with his best result coming at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro Am in which he tabbed an eighth place finish. Mickelson has a history of success at this event, as he is a two-time winner (1996, 2005). As a graduate of Arizona State University, he is familiar with this unique style of golf, and if he can convert his opportunities, he will be a threat to win. He has been installed as the heavy betting favorite according to the PGA Tour Betting Lines at Bodog sportsbook, with odds at 7/1.

Following Mickelson in the line of favorites is Martin Kaymer. Kaymer was a top seed in last week's match play event, but was the victim of an early second round upset. Kaymer has the skill-set necessary to be competitive at TPC Scottsdale. He is incredibly accurate with his short irons, which plays perfect this week. Kaymer has been set as an 18/1 favorite to win.

Geoff Ogilvy notched a win at the opening tournament of the 2010 PGA Tour season, at the SBS Championship in Hawaii. As the defending champion last week, Ogilvy lost in his second match. He has hit nearly 85 percent of greens in regulation this year, which is an astounding 15 percent higher than the tour average. Ogilvy is one of the most consistent players on tour, and has the ability to sit atop the leader board at TPC Scottsdale. He has been established as an 18/1 favorite to claim the Waste Management Phoenix Open title.

Ian Poulter won the biggest event in his career last week, and rose to the fifth position in the world golf rankings. He has had a history of success in the match play event, and was able to finally break through. This week, he will have to settle down and execute his shots. Poulter's short game was nothing short of phenomenal at Dove Mountain, and if that has a spillover effect, he will put himself in position to win back-to-back tournaments. Poulter has been set as a 22/1 favorite, according to odds found at Bodog Sportsbook.

Rounding out the top-five favorites this week is J.B Holmes. Holmes has played very well over the last month of the season. He tabbed a third place finished at the Northern Trust Open and a runner-up finish in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro Am. A couple of missed opportunities here and there for Holmes has cost him victories. He is more than capable of putting it all together however, and this week can present him with that opportunity. Holmes has been installed with 22/1 odds this week at TPC Scottsdale.

Coverage of the Waste Management Phoenix Open can be seen Thursday and Friday on the Golf Channel beginning at 3pm Est. Saturday and Sunday will be picked up by CBS at 3pm Est.