Labeling it his favorite prop of the week, Coulter advised betting Christiaan Bezuidenhout +220 for a top-20 finish (ties paid). Although the South African opened 2026 with only a T-38 at the American Express and a T-27 at the Farmers, Coulter pointed to Bezuidenhout’s T-4 in Phoenix last year and his consistency of finding fairways and rolling mid-range putts—the exact recipe that allowed Justin Rose to go wire-to-wire at Torrey seven days ago. Given how often Bezuidenhout gains strokes on the greens and the comfort he showed at TPC Scottsdale in 2025, Coulter is confident he can replicate a similar leaderboard appearance and pay off the modest plus-money ticket.

Coulter took a swing at the first-round-leader market with Keith Mitchell at +5700. Mitchell blistered the front nine during Sunday’s round at Torrey Pines before two late bogeys dropped him to T-11, a stretch Coulter believes signals that the Georgia Bulldog’s swing changes are clicking. More importantly, Mitchell has been one of the PGA Tour’s premier Day-1 scorers over the past two seasons, ranking in the top 15 in first-round scoring average. Add in a TPC Scottsdale setup that rewards his driving prowess and a Thursday weather forecast calling for calm morning conditions, and Coulter is happy to fling a small stake at nearly 60-1 odds.

For long-shot hunters, Coulter circled Sahith Theegala at +5000. After an injury-marred 2025, Theegala looked fully healthy at the Farmers, opening and closing with matching 66s en route to a T-7 finish that featured two eagles and only six bogeys over 72 holes. The Pepperdine product has flashed course affinity at TPC Scottsdale with a pair of previous top-5 finishes, including a 2024 near-miss where he led deep into Sunday. Coulter views the desert layout’s demand for birdie streaks and dramatic par-5 scoring as ideal for Theegala’s high-variance style, labeling the 50-1 number “mispriced relative to his ceiling when the putter heats up.”

Coulter identified Si Woo Kim at +3000 as the most attractive outright ticket if you cannot stomach Scheffler’s +210 price. Kim has strung together three eye-catching starts: a solo-second at Torrey Pines last week, a T-6 at the American Express after sharing the 54-hole lead with Scheffler, and a T-11 at the Sony Open to begin the year. Coulter added that Kim played frequently with Scheffler in the offseason and has shown zero fear when paired with golf’s current alpha. On expected fit—Kim’s accurate driving and recent spike in approach play—plus what Coulter called “arguably the hottest run on Tour outside of Scheffler or Justin Rose,” the South Korean profiles as a live threat at nearly fifteen times the favorite’s price.

Steve Coulter said the simplest path is often the correct one and recommended backing Scottie Scheffler outright at +210 to win the WM Phoenix Open. Coulter leaned on three pillars: (1) Scheffler owns two prior victories at TPC Scottsdale, giving him the tour’s best course history in this field; (2) he demolished the season-opener at the American Express by four shots, signaling that the gear change he made over the winter is dialed in; and (3) the nearest betting alternatives appear vulnerable—Xander Schauffele just ended a 72-event made-cut streak at the Farmers, while the other top-five names have offered little resistance in recent weeks. With the defending champion already in peak form and his favorite venue on tap, Coulter sees the short number as justified and worth a wager.