The highlight event of the PGA Tour season has arrived. The top 144 players on the PGA Tour will start at The Stadium Course at his TPC Sawgrass, home of The Players Championship since 1981.
Pete Dye’s design features the world-famous par 3 17th hole, which is almost surrounded by water. This always entertaining course will continue to entertain golf fans this week.
Now, let’s take a look at the odds for the 2024 Players Championship.
The Players Championship Odds
Each year, The Players Championship prides itself on having “the strongest field in golf.” This week is no different, despite the lack of LIV golfers participating.
The current situation is as follows odds According to DraftKings, for a player to win:
- Scotty Scheffler +500
- Rory McIlroy +1200
- Xander Schauffele +2200
- Viktor Hovland +2200
- Justin Thomas +2200
- Will Zalatoris +2500
- Patrick Cantlay +2500
- Hideki Matsuyama +2500
- Max Homa +2800
- Wyndham Clark +3000
- Ludwig Oberg +3000
- Shane Lowry +3000
- Sam Barnes +3000
- Jordan Spieth +3000
The Players Championship Predictions
All 18 holes at TPC Sawgrass involve water, making it one of the most unpredictable tournaments of the season.
Nevertheless, top players have been winning since 2019, when The Players returned to the March spot on the calendar. Scottie Scheffler, Cameron Smith, Justin Thomas and Rory McIlroy are the four recent winners at TPC Sawgrass. At the time of the win, these players’ average Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) was his 5.25.
Scheffler re-established himself as the world’s top player after winning by five strokes a season ago.
Max Homa ready for another top finish
Max Homa, who inexplicably missed the cut at the WM Phoenix Open, had solid performances at the Genesis Invitational and Arnold Palmer Invitational, finishing tied for 16th and tied for 8th, respectively.
Homa made very good putts at Bay Hill, ranking third in strokes gained putting. But overall, his short game has shown up in big ways this season. He is 10th in scrambles and 15th in bogey avoidance.
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25330176/1473049855.jpg)
They need to avoid big numbers at TPC Sawgrass, which Homa has done so far in 2024.
Additionally, he played well there last year, tying for eighth place, and would have been in the top five if not for the waterball at No. 17. Homa doubled his score on the penultimate hole and won at 8 under par.
We hope he finishes inside the top 10 again at +260. If you’re really feeling the hype for Homa, a top-5 finish at +550 is a pretty good deal.
Minwoo Lee bounces back after tough weekend at Bay Hill
Minu Lee was our value pick at last week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational and got off to a strong start with an opening 3-under 69.
But the beast that is Bay Hill tormented the young Australian over the weekend as Lee tied for 44th with rounds of 73, 76 and 73.
Still, Lee is one of the most talented young players in golf, and that was evident at last year’s Players Championship. He played in the final pair with Scheffler and was 12 under after 54 holes, two strokes behind Scheffler.
The final 18th place wasn’t so easy, as he shot a 4-over 76 and ended up tied for 18th place. Still, Lee has proven he can take any shot asked of him, and that’s what he needs to do to be successful at TPC Sawgrass.
If you feel really risky, you can let Lee win at +11000. But we want him to be in the top 10 at +500.
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25330241/2069088548.jpg)
Viktor Hovland and Colin Morikawa struggle again
Two of the game’s top stars have struggled so far in 2024.
Viktor Hovland has changed golf coaches again and is now working on his swing with Grant Waite.
Furthermore, as my short game improved, I was completely abandoned. So far this season, Hovland ranks 173rd in strokes gained around the green and 144th in scramble percentage.
A season ago, when Hovland won the FedEx Cup, he ranked 86th in strokes gained around the greens and 48th on the ups and downs 62 percent of the time.
Perhaps that explains why the Norwegian has not come close to breaking into the top 10 so far this season. I don’t expect him to find his form on a course where trouble lurks everywhere.
The same can be said for Collin Morikawa, who missed the cut for the second time this season at Bay Hill.
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25330276/2061707068.jpg)
Morikawa had two double bogeys and two more bogeys in his first six holes on Friday for an 8-over 80. He missed qualifying by three strokes.
His short game metrics are also poor. He currently ranks 100th in strokes gained around the green and 135th in strokes gained putting.
If you want to rediscover your game, TPC Sawgrass is a tough place to do it.
players championship long shot
Since the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in early February, Tom Hoge has quietly become one of the best players on the PGA Tour.
Hoge, not Scheffler, ranks first on the PGA Tour in strokes gained near the green and first on tour near the hole.
His excellent iron play, which is required at TPC Sawgrass, also produced good results.
He finished tied for sixth at Pebble Beach, tied for 17th at the WM Phoenix Open, and finished solo eighth at Riviera, capping off a successful West Coast swing.
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25330291/1476250626.jpg)
His first event in Florida was the Cognizant Classic, where he tied for 28th and didn’t go too well. However, he bounced back with a solid finish at Bay Hill, finishing tied for 12th.
At the Arnold Palmer Invitational, he again led in strokes gained approaching the green. However, he was disappointed with his driver and putter, which explained why he finished at 3 under.
But if he can keep it up off the tee and drain some putts at TPC Sawgrass, Hoge could very well emerge as an unlikely winner. He’s at +5500 to win, but we’d like him to finish inside the top five with a high of +1200.
players championship picks
Fresh off a dominating win at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, Scotty Scheffler wants to win The Players Championship for the second year in a row.
Simply put, Scheffler is playing in a league of his own. He leads the tour in scoring average, overall strokes gained and strokes gained off the tee. He hits 78 percent of regulation greens, which ranks first on the PGA Tour.
His recent play has been reminiscent of Tiger Woods, but Scheffler will accomplish something this week that not even Woods has accomplished: repeating it at TPC Sawgrass.
In fact, no player has ever been The Players Champion again. But we’re hoping Scheffler will be the first to win again, relying on his superior tee-to-green play and his new mallet putter.
He’s +500 to win, but frankly that might be too low.
Check out all our other sports betting content here. SB Nation’s DraftKings site.
Jack Mirko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through.Be sure to check it out @_PlayingThrough Cover more golf. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko In the same way.
