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Phoenix Open golf tips: Plenty lining up to challenge favourites Rahm and McIlroy

The top two golfers in world golf will be hard to beat, but Tipstrr golf pundit Martin Colwell believes there are plenty more players with the quality to take USPGA's biggest prize of the year so far

The USPGA Tour visits the Arizona desert this week at the iconic stadium-themed TPC Scottsdale course, where temperatures are expected to start in the mid-sixties, but with the prospect of cooler weather to come. 

At 7,266 yards in length and par 71, the course is more than 1200 feet above sea level, which should affect ball flight and add extra distance through the air.

After a few weaker-looking tournaments, this is where the real action really starts on tour in 2023.

Crowds that get rowdy, and indeed are encouraged to do so, especially around the closing holes, are expected to reach 600,000 in total during the week.
They'll be treated to a stellar field more akin to one that you would expect to see at a Major, all battling it out for a total prize pool of $20M.
The fairways and rough are mainly Bermuda grass but are overseeded with Rye and Fescue. The altitude might add driving distance, but wild tee shots can find the desert areas and are punished score wise, especially with six water hazards lying in wait.
The greens are generally on the large side and are a mix of Bermuda, Poa and Fescue, and their smooth, velvety texture offers rich rewards to a good putting stroke.
The finishing holes are very risk-reward based, and with a noisy crowd surrounding the greens, they should produce an exciting finish.
Joint favourites this week are the big two, Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm, who are vying for the favourite tag at around the 8/1 mark.
Rahm has strong course form, whereas Rory has only played this tournament once before, which would appear to favour the Spaniard.
Next in the betting is the defending champion, Scottie Scheffler, and it's amazing to think that this was Scottie's maiden win on tour in 2022, after which he went on a tear that culminated in his memorable Masters triumph.
Scheffler's game is in decent shape, but not at the level he was at this time last year. If his putter finds its mojo he can put himself in contention this week, but all the same the 12/1 available looks a bit skinny.
Xander Schauffele has an excellent course record without ever winning this one, and he seems to have recovered from his recent back injury, making his current 14/1 tag seem a decent price for a player well capable of being in the mix on Sunday evening.
Collin Morikawa is in form and will be suited by a ball-striking test, but he has not won for a while, plus he still has the raw memory of his home-stretch blow-out that cost him the Tournament of Champions a month ago, so I do struggle to see his value at 16/1.
A trio of players at around 20/1 - Tony Finau, Patrick Cantlay and Justin Thomas - all boast the pedigree to win most competitions they enter.
Finau has been a runner-up here and the course suits his game, but he has also missed the cut here a few times before.
Cantlay has also been a runner-up here, losing in last year's play off with Scheffler on what was his course debut, but I do worry about Cantlay's putting stroke when the heat is on in final rounds.
JT is just out of form and so easily passed by in favour of Max Homa, who sits just off them at 22/1. Homa is another golfer in hot form with his confidence at a high after his win at Torrey Pines two weeks ago.

Lower down, I do like Hideki Matsuyama at 25/1 plus. The 2021 Masters champion won this tournament a few years back and the green surfaces should help his putting, while the rest of his game is well suited to the Scottsdale course.

And finally, at 60/1, we have Keegan Bradley, who won the ZoZo as recently as October, and also went very close last time out when finishing two shots adrift as runner-up to Homa in the Farmers Insurance Open. 

Bradley is another golfer suited by easier putting surfaces, and one who regularly comes with a late surge if he can make it to the weekend.

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