WM Phoenix Open 2026 First-Round Leader Tips: Dave Tindall's three to back up to 110/1

• 60/161.00 Rickie Fowler has great history at TPC Scottsdale

• 110/1111.00 S.H. Kim has twice opened with rounds of 63 this season

• 80/181.00 Haotong Li is in fine form and boasts a superb FRL record

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Weather forecast for Thursday

It's a pleasant day in Scottsdale with temperatures starting in the lows 60s and rising to the high 70s in the afternoon.

Wind speeds are fairly modest, perhaps rising a touch from 5mph in the morning to 7mph either side of lunch before settling back.

The ball should fly further in the afternoon in those warmer conditions and it's worth noting that the first-round leader has come from the p.m. wave in each of the last three years.

Widen it a little and the top three after round one in 2025 and four of the top five in 2024 all had late starts.

FRL Bet 1: Rickie Fowler @ 60/161.00

Rickie Fowler knows a thing or two about first-round leads having once started out with a 62 on day one of the 2023 US Open in LA. No-one in the history of the majors has ever shot a lower round.

The Californian is also a two-time FRL here, an event where he can boast a win, two seconds and a fourth in his time.

Fowler's first ever round at TPC Scottsdale was a 65 (enough for third spot after 18 holes back in 2010) so the good vibes are always there whenever he returns to the par 71.

With course form ticked, the only question is whether he's playing well enough to start fast again.

The answer is yes.

Fowler ended 2025 with a pair of top 10s and was fourth and seventh respectively after round one in those two events.

After a lengthy break he's started his 2026 campaign with a tied 18th in The American Express where he opened 67-63 to sit sixth at halfway.

Add in what looks a preferable afternoon tee-time (12.55pm local) and Fowler is worth a play at 60/161.00 (1/4 odds, 5 places).  

FRL Bet 2: S.H. Kim @ 110/1111.00

S.H. Kim has made an early impact on the PGA Tour this season with a pair of top 20s in the Sony Open (13th) and The American Express (18th).

He also made the cut at the Farmers Insurance Open last time, opening with a 68.

His first round scoring really is something to be seen at the moment as the Korean has ended day one in the top five in five of his last seven tournaments.

Three of those were in Japan, Korea and Saudi before Christmas but he's continued the trend at PGA Tour level by bursting out of the blocks with 63s at the Sony and the Amex. He was third after 18 holes in both. 

Kim has played this tournament just once but even then he hit the ground running. He finished 28th in that first visit in 2024 and was eighth after round one thanks to a 67.

With the desired afternoon tee-time (12:11pm), Kim appeals at three-figure odds.

FRL Bet 3: Haotong Li @ 80/181.00

Having started out by saying that Rickie Fowler knows a thing or two about first-round leads, well so does Haotong Li.

The Chinese golfer has four of them in his last 23 starts and, going further back, nine in his last 100. That's quite the strike-rate.

His three FRLs last year came in the Open Championship no less, the British Masters and the Genesis Championship.

That's the first half of the argument; the second is that he's in excellent form right now.

Li has four top 11s in his last five worldwide starts and the latest two came in the last fortnight: eighth at The American Express and 11th at the Farmers Insurance Open.

I've also picked him in my outright preview given his form and suitability for the course and, like the other two selections, he has an afternoon tee-time (1:39pm).

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