The Players Championship: PGA Tour Golf Odds and Predictions
The Players Championship Background
The purse at the Players Championship is $15 million (U.S.), easily the highest on the PGA Tour. It’s often referred to as the “fifth major,” although in reality the season-ending Tour Championship has surpassed it in importance because that determines the FedExCup playoff winner.
Last year, the Tour moved the Players Championship from May back to its original March spot, where it was held for the first 33 editions, and it will stay there for the foreseeable future. This tournament started in 1974 and was won by Jack Nicklaus. He’s the only three-time winner of the event. Rather amazingly, no player has repeated here. Only six players, including Nicklaus, have won it multiple times.
TPC Sawgrass’ Stadium course in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., has one of the most recognizable holes in the world, the island par-3 17th. Guys will either be putting for birdie, in a small bunker or in the water. The average for a tournament is about 50 balls hit in the water. Overall, the course plays to par 72 and is approximately 7,200 yards. It’s the first Players Championship since noted course designer Pete Dye passed away.
If there’s a playoff here, it’s not sudden-death like most Tour events but three-hole aggregate played over the final three holes. If still tied after that, it’s sudden-death starting at No. 17. The last playoff was in 2015 when Rickie Fowler beat Sergio Garcia and Kevin Kisner.
The Players Championship Betting Favourites
If anyone can repeat here, it’s defending champion Rory McIlroy, the +648 favourite. He was one of eight players to have at least a share of the lead in the final round but had two late birdies to shoot a 2-under 70 and finish at 16-under 272, one up on Jim Furyk. It was Furyk’s second career runner-up in the Players Championship. He lives in the area. McIlroy has yet to finish worse than tied for fifth in a PGA Tour event this season. That’s where he ended up Sunday at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Orlando.
Spain’s Jon Rahm is +1000 with Justin Thomas +1400 and Bryson DeChambeau +1700. Rahm has a best result of 12th in this tournament. Thomas has a best of third. Neither played last week. DeChambeau was fourth in Orlando but hasn’t contended here.
Tiger Woods has won this tournament twice but is skipping yet another week. Now it’s fair to wonder if he will be healthy enough to realistically contend at the Masters. Tyrell Hatton got his first PGA Tour win Sunday and is +3300 this week.
Canadian Golfer Odds
The lone Canadian to win here was Stephen Ames in 2006 by six shots over the field. Ames was born in Trinidad and Tobago but holds duel citizenship there and in Canada.
Nick Taylor was T16 here last year and is +12700. Corey Conners was T41 a year ago and also is +12700. Adam Hadwin missed the cut in 2019 and is +12300. Mackenzie Hughes didn’t play here last year and is +18200.
The Players Championship Predictions
Keep betting McIlroy for Top 10s, but the winner is Adam Scott at +2200. The Aussie won here in 2004 and hasn’t been worse than 12th his past four trips.