Hideki Matsuyama decided to remind everyone he's still one of the best golfers on the planet by rattling off six consecutive birdies during Friday's Round 2 at TPC Scottsdale. Six. In a row. At a course where 200,000 drunk degenerates are screaming at you on the 16th hole.

Meanwhile, Scottie Scheffler—the +220 pre-tournament favorite who was supposed to cruise through this field—is fighting for his tournament life after carding a 73 in Round 1.

The Quick Hit

• What happened: Matsuyama went on a six-birdie tear in R2 at the Phoenix Open
• The damage: Scheffler opened with a 73, blowing up futures tickets across the country
• Why you should care: The cut line is tight and the leaderboard just got shaken up
• The move: Live betting the Phoenix Open is peak Saturday entertainment

Scheffler's Nightmare Start

If you had Scheffler in your outright winner bet—and based on the +220 odds, a LOT of you did—Round 1 was a rough watch. Chris Gotterup fired a bogey-free 63 to grab the lead, and Scheffler's 73 put him in an immediate hole.

The world No. 1 was visibly frustrated throughout his opening round. For a guy who won this event twice before and came in off an American Express victory, this was not the start anyone expected. The 36-hole cut is today, and Scheffler needs a strong Friday round just to stick around for the weekend.

Bettors who grabbed Gotterup at his pre-tournament long-shot price are sitting pretty. Those who laid -220 on Scheffler are currently in the bargaining stage of grief.

Matsuyama Goes Nuclear

And then there's Matsuyama, who apparently took all the birdies Scheffler was supposed to make and claimed them for himself. Six consecutive birdies at TPC Scottsdale is the kind of heater that turns a weekend into a celebration. The man was locked in, dropping putts from everywhere while the Phoenix crowd—already several beers deep by noon on a Friday in the desert—lost its collective mind.

This is why you bet golf at events like the Phoenix Open. The field is stacked, the course creates drama, and a single hot stretch can completely reshape the leaderboard and the odds board.

Brooks Koepka Watch

Don't forget about Koepka making his second PGA Tour start since leaving LIV. Along with Tony Finau and Viktor Hovland, the Phoenix Open brought back some names that add serious intrigue to the weekend rounds. If Koepka makes the cut, expect his outright odds to shorten fast.

Weekend Preview

Rounds 3 and 4 are set for Saturday and Sunday. ESPN's Betcast coverage runs throughout, turning the broadcast into a full-blown watch-and-bet experience. If you're done sweating your Super Bowl bets by halftime tomorrow, the Phoenix Open final round will be there waiting for you.

The Bottom Line

Scheffler at +220 looked like a lock. Now it looks like a trap. Matsuyama's six-birdie run just reshuffled the entire futures board, and the cut line drama alone makes today worth watching. Golf betting is a different kind of degen—you sit there for four hours watching a ball roll across a green, and somehow it's the most stressful thing you've done all week. We wouldn't have it any other way.