After an exciting conclusion to the 2016 Farmers Insurance Open, some of the best golfers in the planet now shift their focus to the upcoming Waste Management Phoenix Open. It’s bound to be one exciting tournament, with 17 of the world’s top 50 golfers competing in this week’s event.
Who will emerge victorious and grab the $1.17 million top prize? Read on below as a bunch of experts sound off on their picks for this world-class tournament. While you’re at it, you can check out our sleeper picks and predictions for the Phoenix Open.
Sam Belden has made his pick and it is Bubba Watson who he thinks will win the Phoenix Open this year. What makes Watson such a good pick in his eyes is his excellent record here in Scottsdale. He finished runner-up in this event the past two years and hasn’t missed out on the top 15 since 2011. If there’s one person who’s primed for a breakthrough win here this week, it’s definitely Watson.
Watson will have his work cut out for him, however, as he’ll face one of the hottest golfers on the PGA Tour today in Jason Dufner. He is fresh off a thrilling playoff victory at the CareerBuilder Challenge, at which he ranked in the top five in both putting average and driving accuracy. Dufner has fared extremely in this tournament in the past, finishing solo second back in 2011.
Adam Solowiei of Sports Unbiased believes that Rickie Fowler will win the Phoenix Open this year. He’s finally living up to his potential, grabbing four global wins in the last nine months. He may have finished tied for 46th in this event last year but Fowler did close out with a 67 in the final round. He has had some success in this tournament in the past, finishing in second place back in 2010.
The one man who Solowiei believes will pose a major threat to Fowler is Brandt Snedeker. He’s coming off a sensational victory at the Farmers Insurance Open where he shot a six-under-par total of 282. Snedeker’s final-round 69 proved to be the difference as that score was roughly nine shots better than the field average.
