The best of the best on the PGA Tour will tee off Thursday at the 2023 WM Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale, so setting your fantasy golf rankings could be a serious challenge. Successful WM Phoenix Open fantasy golf lineups could feature red-hot world No. 1 Rory McIlroy or defending champion Scottie Scheffler. With 22 of the world’s top 25 players in the field, players like Jon Rahm, Xander Schauffle and Collin Morikawa also could play big parts in your WM Phoenix Open fantasy golf picks. Scheffler defeated Patrick Cantlay in a playoff at last year’s Phoenix Open, but McIlroy (8-1) is the favorite in the latest 2023 WM Phoenix Open odds. Rahm (17-2), Schauffele (14-1) and Scheffler (15-1) also are among the WM Phoenix Open 2023 favorites.
Schauffele finished third last year, but is he a player you want to look at to play a big role in your 2023 WM Phoenix Open fantasy golf rankings? Or would a hot but slightly overlooked player like Tony Finau (21-1) put you in a better position to win? Before setting your fantasy golf rankings or making any 2023 WM Phoenix Open picks, you need to see the fantasy golf projections and lineup advice from SportsLine fantasy expert Jim Holliman.
Holliman has been a writer and editor for nearly 25 years and has been playing and following the game closely for more than three decades. The Florida-based writer knows what it takes to win on the PGA Tour and how the players’ games fit the courses. The golf expert has been on a roll on his picks since last season. At the Pebble Beach Pro-Am, six of the expert’s picks finished in the top 15, including winner Justin Rose and top-five finishers Denny McCarthy and Keith Mitchell. At the Farmers Insurance Open, every player in his predictions made the cut, and four finished in the top 15, including winner Max Homa.
Last season, he nailed the Tour Championship, saying Rory McIlroy was the only player capable of making up a six-stroke deficit to get past Scheffler. “He has a lot of ground to make up,” Holliman said, “but he is the most well-rounded player in this field, so if anyone can do it, he can.” The Northern Irishman was actually down by 10 through two holes Sunday but stormed back to claim the title. Anyone who has followed Holliman’s predictions is way up on their golf picks.
Now, Holliman has ranked his top golfers from the 2023 WM Phoenix Open field. You can only see his fantasy golf rankings and WM Phoenix Open picks at SportsLine.
2023 WM Phoenix Open fantasy golf picks
One player Holliman has no reserves about backing this week is McIlroy. “He has been tearing it up no matter where he plays,” Holliman told SportsLine. McIlroy has four victories and 12 top-10 finishes over his past 14 tournaments. That includes seven straight in the top five and victories in his past two on the PGA Tour. Add in that the four-time major champ is coming in off a victory at the DP World Tour’s Hero Dubai Desert Classic, and Holliman is fully on board. The 33-year-old led the tour in scoring average, strokes gained total and strokes gained tee to green last season.
On the other hand, the expert thinks Rahm will have a pretty good week but is slightly fading him, barely ranking the Spaniard in his top five. Rahm opened the Farmers with 73 and closed with 74, shooting 67-66 in between, and Holliman has some concerns. He still tied for seventh place, but the 28-year-old “might be coming back to the pack a bit,” the expert says. Rahm has won four of his past six worldwide starts, but his approach game (33rd in strokes gained) and putting (42nd) can be shaky. He also ranks 139th in scrambling, a key to success in Scottsdale. You can see who else to back this week at SportsLine.
How to set your 2023 WM Phoenix Open golf rankings
For the WM Phoenix Open 2023, Holliman is backing several longshots, including one higher than 25-1 who comes off an excellent finish. This golfer has also never missed the cut at this event. You can find out who it is, and check out all of Holliman’s PGA picks, only at SportsLine.
Who wins the 2023 WM Phoenix Open? Who are the top PGA Tour players to target for your WM Phoenix Open fantasy picks? And which overlooked players can help you win your league this week? Visit SportsLine now to get Jim Holliman’s Fantasy golf rankings for the 2023 WM Phoenix Open, all from the fantasy expert with his finger on the pulse of the game, and find out.