Surprising Round 1 leader in Waste Management Phoenix Open

Now, Clark stands above the field at -7 after Round 1. Taylor Moore and Lee Hodges sit a stroke behind Clark T-2nd, with Justin Thomas T-4th two strokes behind.
Thomas currently has the second-best odds to bring home the win at +600.

Despite being in the lead, Clark isn’t the favorite. That title still belongs to Scottie Scheffler, who struggled initially on Thursday.

What was almost the biggest surprise of Round 1 was the performance of the #1 ranked golfer in the world. The front nine saw Scheffler shoot two over par, with the rust coming off his hand injury causing him trouble. The Phoenix Open is Scheffler’s second tournament since hand surgery on December 29, 2024, due to an injury from a broken wine glass.

However, in the back nine, Scheffler would look like his old self, shooting four under par, including two eagles, with one coming from the bunker 100 yards out.

Scheffler is T-25 at -2 and is the favorite at +550 to secure his third Phoenix Open title. Regardless, Clark’s strong play thus far will make his five-stroke lead a tough hurdle to jump.