SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — This week’s WM Phoenix Open marks a momentous event for the PGA Tour and its leisure distributions. PGA Tour Reside, along with ESPN BET, will debut a brand new stream that focuses solely on betting, offering in-depth information, dwell odds, and hole-by-hole insights. It’s a groundbreaking launch, but it surely additionally exhibits how the PGA Tour is leaning into the ever-growing aspect hustle that’s legalized sports activities betting.
Many watch golf for the betting angle, putting wagers each week on their favourite gamers or on those that they assume will do nicely. And when you’ve got seen something about PGA Tour odds over the previous few years, Scottie Scheffler is an awesome favourite each time he performs. This week isn’t any completely different. FanDuel Sportsbook lists Scheffler, who has gained at TPC Scottsdale twice, at +280 to win — a preposterously low determine for any {golfing} favourite.
But, the World No. 1, true to his character, couldn’t care much less.
“I don’t wager on golf,” Scheffler stated Wednesday.
“I don’t take note of that stuff. I couldn’t care much less once I’m favored to win a event. It doesn’t imply something. I begin the event even par, so it doesn’t actually matter.”
Scheffler by no means targeted on his odds, even earlier than he grew to become one of the best participant on the earth. As an alternative, he sticks to his course of day-after-day, attempting to enhance as an individual and a participant.
“On the finish of the day, what we love out right here is competing, and I feel what guys relish out here’s a probability to compete towards one of the best. So, going week in and week out, I feel the fellows on the prime of the leaderboard on Sunday are those enjoying one of the best, and people are those you wish to compete with. It’s quite a lot of enjoyable. I like having these battles,” Scheffler defined.
“I’ve had some good battles right here at [the WM Phoenix Open] over the previous few years. Final yr, Nick Taylor gained. I used to be shut coming down the stretch. He beat me. The yr earlier than that, Nick and I and Jon Rahm have been shut, after which the yr earlier than that, Patrick and I ended up within the playoff, and there have been a ton of fellows on that leaderboard.”
For Scheffler, it’s all concerning the coronary heart of the competitors — a facet of sports activities that has sadly diminished in significance over the previous few years now that People can legally gamble in 38 states. However whether or not or not you’ve a stake within the sport doesn’t take away from the joys of victory or agony of defeat for the person within the area.
Talking of arenas, no higher surroundings in golf exists than what PGA Tour professionals face down the stretch at TPC Scottsdale. The par-5 fifteenth options an island inexperienced; the par-3 sixteenth, with its well-known stadium full of over 20,000 followers, is in contrast to the rest within the sport. The drivable but dangerous par-4 seventeenth and the terrific par-4 18th solely add to the great drama seen seemingly yearly.
“This golf event has lended some fairly thrilling finishes over time, and I feel that’s simply due to how the closing stretch is,” Scheffler added.
“There’s quite a lot of alternative to make birdies, and there’s additionally some alternatives to make some numbers. I feel that’s what makes a terrific event. When you concentrate on the nice golf programs that we play, Augusta Nationwide all the time involves thoughts, and the best way they arrange Augusta on Sunday isn’t essentially the toughest check. They put among the pins in bowls they usually depart alternatives for guys to hit nice pictures, and that’s why I feel you’ve such thrilling finishes there as you do right here.”
Jack Milko is a golf workers author for SB Nation’s Taking part in By way of. Comply with him on X @jack_milko.