There couldn’t be more of a contrast from the evil of Pebble Beach last week to the raucous party that will take place in Scottsdale this week.

From a depleted field to one that contains 18 of the world’s top 20 players, there is no doubt that the 2023 elevated events are attracting the biggest names in the game. Combine that with Superbowl weekend, a stadium course and one of the biggest crowds outside of the majors, and this will be one to watch all weekend.

Played for the last 36 years at Scottsdale, the course offers a mix of risk-and-reward holes as well as severe penalties for those that hit it wild. Witness the 17th, or 71st, hole over the last two runnings.

In contention, both Jordan Spieth and Xander Schauffele hooked their aggressive approaches into the greenside lake, handing the title to Brooks Koepka, whilst last year debutant Sahith Theegala found that luck was not with him, his tee-shot perfectly on line but finding a hard bounce, long roll, and a place next to those of the far more experienced duo.

Whilst the course offers it’s rewards, first-timers are far more likely to be put off by the enthusiastic, if slightly drunk, crowd, perhaps demonstrating why the list of recent winners includes major winners and contenders.

It’s always tough opting between the classier players at the top of the market, but world number five Patrick Cantlay makes most appeal at anything over 14/a and should be backed as such.

Understandably, there is plenty of repeat course form here, so it is testament to the 30-year-old’s class, that he contended a play-off here on debut last year.

There are few secrets from the elite of the golfing world and, like most, with Cantlay we get a solid bank of high-level form, highlighted by his efforts at the Shriners and Memorial tournaments, both included in a select group of comp courses.

It’s quite simple with Pat. At Summerlin he has recorded finishes of 1/2/2/8/2 whilst at Muirfield we get a pair of victories, third, fourth and seventh in just seven starts. I love this as a guide, particularly when looking at his numbers.

At both course, Cantlay ranks an average of around 11th off-the-tee, 22nd for approaches and 11th for tee-to-green. In last season’s play-off loss, he ranked 13th OTT, 27th SGA and 10th T2G – spot anything?

Cantlay often needs a run or two so I’m not worried about the opening 16th at the Tournament of Champions, and the 26th place at the American Express can possibly be upgraded a touch – 14th at halfway and fought back from a poor third round and 49th place – and he arrives at what looks a perfect course.

If most of the top lot are easy to read, I’m still not sure that we have reached anything like the ceiling for Tom Kim.

It’s tough to add anything new to this potential superstar other than most golf fans were waiting to see how he reacted to a stellar first full year on tour – it certainly isn’t disappointing!

17th on ‘debut’ at the Byron Nelson, the 20-year-old has done nothing but improve, and now ranks inside the top-15 thanks to victories at the Wyndham and Shriners championships, both with huge form links to the Pheonix Open, courtesy mainly to Webb Simpson and Cantlay.

If Kim was going to fall away he may have started at the seasonal opener where his lack of length would have been exposed. However, a fifth place secured his name in the minds of most for the rest of the year, enhanced by a sixth place at the American Express where a ranking of 16th in approaches was his worst for some time, the vast majority being inside the top-10.

Tom absolutely relished the party environment of the Presidents Cup and will no doubt do the same here on debut, another factor hardly worrying given his first-time efforts last year. It was close between he and compatriot Sungjae Im, but despite the latter’s course experience, there is a win factor element that gives the younger man the hard edge.

Mentioned already, Sahith Theegala is another name that should pay to follow for this year and beyond.

Once again, his profile is hardly secretive, and even if he has just that ‘unofficial’ pairs win to his name, could quite easily be sitting aside Tom Kim with two individual titles.

It’s almost impossible to ignore what the 25-year-old did on debut here last year, when even ‘star-struck’ playing with Koepka and Xander, he managed to find himself tied for the lead on payday Sunday.

However, in came the troublesome 17th, and whilst his tee shot took an awful bounce and careered his ball into the water, the highly-decorated Pepperdine graduate, came out of the event with a much higher profile and a fan club much bigger than the 100-or-so family and friends that surrounded him afterwards.

Previously, Theegala had led at the Sanderson Farms before proving a touch naive, whilst he also tried a miracle bunker shot when in contention at the last hole of the Travelers, something that caused a double-bogey and a two-shot defeat.

Add a top five at Muirfield to his collection of high finishes – an event he called ‘major tough’ – and we have a player that, like Kim, is progressing fast.

A pair of runner-finishes, third and four other top-10s have led to a place inside the top-40 of the world rankings and he has progressed from his opening two events of 2023 to finish tied-fourth at Torrey Pines, one of the classic ball-striking courses.

Ranking fourth for iron play and tee-to-green last time suggests he can attack these pins with relish, something he can build on after the usual quality driving, whilst an overall rating of 14th for greens-in-regulation over the past three months will give the opportunity for aggressive putting, something he showed in that victory alongside Tom Hoge.

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Over in Singapore, the DP World Tour join the Asian Tour at ‘The Beast’, a 7400-yard course with huge undulations, and water hazards to catch out the more enthusiastic of drivers.

With little, in fact nothing, to go on for European Tour students, ante-post stakes will be lower than usual and punters, like the players, will surely learn a lot as we go through halfway.  This could be a great event for betting in-running – keep eyes peeled on the Bet Victor golf page.

It’s churlish to criticise Ryan Fox for not exploiting an opening top five last week, but after a first round 67, Ras did look open for a Fox saunter across a course that was certainly tighter than we had seen before, but had enough links-like characteristics to be right up his street.

11th is a strong finish, but at around 18/1 I need more, as I do if taking a couple of points less about favourite Robert MacIntyre.

Instead, start the card with the consistent Adrian Otaegui, who may not have the latent power of the other pair but has a guile to his game that might be a sneaky factor around a course that looks like it needs careful handling.

Winner of two match-play scenarios, he proved he could win a standard stroke-play with a win in poor conditions in Scotland, before showing the highest level of skill last October.

Coming off the LIV Golf bench, the 30-year-old (it’s that age again, the supposed peak of a golfer) won around Valderrama in record score and by a record-equalling margin of six shots, putting up figures rarely seen around what is a tough track.

It would have been almost impossible to recreate those numbers week-in week-out, but he hasn’t let his iron play slip, ranking an average of 10th for eight of his last nine outings – I’ll ignore Dubai as it was such an anomaly.

Add that to a set of scrambling stats that have the Spaniard inside the top 14 for 11 recent starts and a top-five rating for accuracy off the tee and we have a player that offers far more than hit-it-and-find-it. If this is a high scoring event, Otaegui’s placing could be valuable.

Back the four-time winner up with two maidens.

Matt Jordan has always been on the radar, particularly in links conditions, and he’s the potential value from the bigger hitters.

A pair of top-fives in Himmerland reads well, even if he should have finished better after a third round 62, whilst efforts in Foshan, Qatar and Portugal hint to being suited by this test, the middle of those the scene of a final round collapse after making his way to the front in difficult conditions once again.

The 27-year-old relishes a grind, something he’ll find over the next few days, but he makes the plan due to an upturn in putting form, something that was his nemesis over the last couple of seasons.

The trio of events since the start of the year have seen the Englishman steadily improve on the greens, finding half-a-shot, three-quarters and now over three shots on the field through Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Ras. Laguna National might have elements of all the places Jordan thrives, and I’ll take that chance.

Over to another Matt to complete the plan, this time Frenchman Matthieu Pavon. 

Taking a look at the 30-year-old’s best form, he was third at the links-dominated Scottish Open in 2017, runner-up alongside Lucas Bjerregaard to Thomas Pieters in Portugal, and split Jon Rahm and Min Woo Lee in Spain.

Top that with a runner-up in Mauritius, and a fifth place at the same place in 2017, both amongst big-hitters, as well as a silver medal at Foshan, and the two-time Alps Tour winner builds up a profile that should relish a test like Laguna National’s toughest track.

Over three months Pavon ranks in seventh place for total driving and top-40 for greens-in-regulation, figures he improved on last week at Ras Al Khaimah, when second in approaches, fifth tee-to-green and top-20 in greens. Take that onto Singapore and it doesn’t take that much to believe he is slightly overpriced in what looks a winnable event.

Recommended Bets:

Phoenix Open

• Patrick Cantlay – 18/1 WIN
• Tom Kim – 22/1 WIN
• Sahith Theegala – 45/1 Each-way

Singapore Classic

• Adrian Otaegui  25/1 Each-way
• Matt Jordan 45/1 Each-way
• Matthieu Pavon 60/1 Each-way