Often referred to as the fifth major, THE PLAYERS Championship always attracts a strong field with this year’s group headlined by world No. 1 and betting favorite Scottie Scheffler. A dominant five-shot win at Bay Hill last week and a winner by five swings in this event last year, Scheffler is up to his old tricks and is a prohibitive favorite to become the first golfer to go back-to-back in this tournament. It won’t be easy, and it shouldn’t be, with eight other players ranked among the OWGR top 10. The one player in the top 10 not competing is Jon Rahm, who now swings in the LIV Golf league. Scheffler and Adam Hadwin are the only players with opening odds shorter than 10/1 and they, along with the rest of the field, will compete for the first-place bounty as the Tour continues its swing through Florida. Visit BookMaker.eu for a complete list of betting odds when you’re ready to place a wager.
THE PLAYERS Championship Betting Odds
Scottie Scheffler +550
Rory McIlroy +1300
Justin Thomas +2000
Xander Schauffele +2500
Viktor Hovland +2500
Patrick Cantlay +2500
Max Homa +2500
Will Zalatoris +2800
Hideki Matsuyama +3000
Collin Morikawa +3000
Ludvig Aberg +3000
Jordan Spieth +3000
Wyndham Clark +3500
Shane Lowry +3500
Sam Burns +4000
Si Woo Kim +4000
Russell Henley +4050
Tommy Fleetwood +4500
Cameron Young +4500
Jason Day +4500
Sahith Theegala +5000
Brian Harman +5000
Min Woo Lee +5500
Corey Conners +5850
Tony Finau +6000
Sungjae Im +6000
Byeong Hun An +6500
Tom Hoge +6500
Tom Kim +6500
Keegan Bradley +6500
Matt Fitzpatrick +7000
Aaron Rai +7750
Odds Analysis
Russell Henley +4050
There are plenty of great golfers with long odds to at least make things interesting. Besides, what’s the fun in backing the favorite all the time? Henley fits my plan as a value pick in the outright market with excellent form coming in. He cashed in all six starts this season earning a pair of T4s at the Sony Open and last week at the API. It has his T19 at last year’s tournament that started a run of him nabbing 15 top 20s in the last year. His game fits the layout and his superb putting last week kept him in contention. I’m always looking for a nice payout and Henley offers up a nice opportunity.
Max Homa +2500
It’s been a slow start to the season for Homa, but he showed signs of picking up the pace last week with a season-best T8 at Bay Hill. He should be disappointed after throwing away a better finish with closing 73 making him hungrier this time around. His last two starts in this event have been solid with a T13 in 2022 and a T6 last year so it looks like the perfect storm is brewing for Homa.
Sungjae Im +6000
Once the talk of the golf world, it seems as though most folks have gone silent about Im over the last year. He still plays a lot of golf and still has decent results however the wins have been hard to come by. And there really is no indication that hell prevail this week, which is what makes the game so special. After a few crummy outings Im was back to being his consistent self securing a top 20 at Arnold’s tournament. Im recovered from an opening 75 here last year to go 11-under over the final 54 holes to finish with a share of sixth.
Xander Schauffele +2500
Man, I always find myself at least looking at Schauffele and many times backing him. And I’m doing it again here even with the realization that he may never win another tournament but hoping that he does. At this point it might be better backing him in alternate markets since he has cashed in each of his last 40 starts and that’s what actually has me looking at him here. The X-man has been consistent this season with four top 10s and a T25 and he had success here last year ending a streak of two straight MCs by collecting a T19.
Sahith Theegala +5000
I think we can say Theegala isn’t the same player he was in his two prior visits so I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt that maybe he learned enough from those times to put a run of form together. He’s regularly been in contention since his win at the Fortinet Classic in the fall and has continued at a blistering pace that included a T6 at Bay Hill.
Course: TPC Sawgrass – 7,275 yards, Par 72
Tournament host since 1982, the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass isn’t long at 7,275 yards, but with an abundance of water hazards and strategically-placed bunkers nestled throughout the property, big numbers are hiding around every corner. Long considered one of the more demanding courses on Tour, Sawgrass has a way of evening the playing field making course management more important than anything else. If you can avoid the water and sand you’re in a better position to play through the weekend. Most players take a conservative approach given the obstacles, and that’s the smart thing to do. Par 5s at No. 2 and No. 16 offer chances to make up strokes, as long as you don’t lose them on the iconic 17th by dropping a tee shot in the drink.
TV Coverage: Golf Channel, NBC
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker.eu.
Check out the latest odds at BookMaker
