The 2023 Players Championship: PGA Tour Betting Odds
Jon Rahm is the favourite on the golf odds.
Woods, a two-time winner of the PGA Tour’s flagship event, didn’t enter this tournament ahead of Friday’s entry deadline, meaning we surely won’t see him again until next month’s Masters. But 49 nine of the Top 50 players in FedExCup points and 43 of the Top 50 in the world rankings are set to tee it up at TPC Sawgrass’ Stadium Course. That’s home to the infamous island par-3 17th and is a par 72 overall and 7,257 yards. A new back tee on the par-5 ninth could make for the first 600-yard hole in Players Championship history.
This is the season’s first event to offer 600 FedExCup points to the winner, and the victor also will receive a record $4.5 million first-place check from a $25 million purse. The champion also gets a longer exemption on Tour (five years) and three-year exemptions to the Masters, US Open, British Open and PGA Championship. At least 30 players will compete in their first Players Championship.
There never has been a repeat winner here, and that will continue as Aussie Cameron Smith won at 13-under 275 last year but is now on the LIV Series. Smith has lived in the Ponte Vedra Beach area since 2016, and it’s also where the PGA Tour is headquartered. He says he plans to be fishing this weekend. Smith one-putted eight of his final nine holes to last year in a Monday finish (due to rain). He is the fourth Players champion not to defend his title ever and first since an injured Tiger missed the 2014 edition.
It has taken double-digits under par to win every year since 2009. There hasn’t been a playoff since 2015. It’s a three-hole aggregate playoff played over the final three holes and then sudden death if still tied. That this year’s is won in a playoff is +350.
The Players Championship Golf Odds
World No. 1 Jon Rahm is the +800 favourite. He’s having an amazing year worldwide but comes off a disappointing T35 in Orlando on Sunday at the Arnold Palmer Invitational after leading following a first-round 65. Rahm’s best finish in the Players is T9.
Rory McIlroy is +1000 with Scottie Scheffler +1100. McIlroy, also having a great year, finished second by a shot to Kurt Kitayama on Sunday at the Arnold Palmer. McIlroy won here at 16 under in 2019 but hasn’t contended since. Scheffler comes off a T4 on Sunday in Orlando and hasn’t contended here in two tries.
Justin Thomas, Patrick Cantlay and Max Homa are each +1800. Thomas won in 2021, Cantlay has missed the cut in his past three trips, and Homa has a T13 and missed cut in his two visits. Kurt Kitayama, the surprise winner Sunday in Orlando, is +12500 this week.
Stephen Ames, who has dual nationality in Trinidad and Tobago and Canada, won this event in 2006 by six shots and was a runner-up in 2002. He’s the lone Canadian winner. Adam Hadwin was the top finisher last year at T9, Taylor Pendrith was T13 and Corey Conners T26, while Mackenzie Hughes and Roger Sloan missed the cut. Conners is +7000 this week with Hadwin +12500, Pendrith +15000, Hughes +22500, Nick Taylor +22500 and Adam Svensson +250000.
The Players Championship Golf Predictions
We like Shane Lowry as the best value to win at +4500. The Irishman was T5 two tournaments ago at the Honda Classic and has been T13 and eighth here the past two years. That a European wins is +180.
