Some consider the Players Championship to be the unofficial “fifth major” in professional men’s golf. The field is always elite, as is the purse; in 2022, the winnings total $20 million, with the winner getting $3.6 million, the largest purse of any PGA tournament. The event is set for March 10-13, but you can already find Players Championship Odds on the day, so let’s take a look at some interesting picks.
PGA News: Early Picks for the Players Championship
Patrick Cantlay (+2000)
He’s the reigning FedExCup champion, and he’s kept that string going in 2022. However, despite all those sub-70 scores, the wins have not been following.
Viktor Hovland (+2000)
Cantlay and Jon Rahm have been playing monster golf, but Hovland has been walking away with the trophies; he won three tournaments in a span of five starts that came to an end in January. However, he did miss the cut in his first Players Championship a year ago.
Collin Morikawa (+1600)
He is the fastest player to win two majors during the modern era, and he has also won a WGC trophy to go along with them. The Players Championship will end up on his resume as well. He did not look good the first time he played TPC Sawgrass in 2021, but he bounced back with a 66 in the last round.
Rory McIlroy (+1600)
He won this tournament three years ago, and TPC Sawgrass has been friendly to him; in his last eight starts here, he has three top-ten finishes in addition to that win in 2019. Of course, last year, he went 79-75 in 2021 and missed the cut by a mile.
Will Zalatoris (+5000)
He’s a great striker, and this moneyline gives you a ton of value. Of course, there’s a reason for that value, because even though Zalatoris has finished near the top many times, he still has yet to take a PGA Tour trophy home.
Joaquin Niemann (+4100)
Niemann won the Genesis Invitational, which featured a field similar in quality to what we will see next weekend, and yet he’s still valued as a sleeper. The putter is a concern with this one, though, because he is only 115th on the Tour in Strokes Gained: Putting.
Justin Thomas (+1400)
This is the defending champion. However, he has zero wins since, and the moneyline here is not a value.
Daniel Berger (+3000)
He has four PGA Tour titles, and all of the courses have prioritized accuracy off the tee over length, as TPC Sawgrass does. In his last five starts at this course, he has two top-ten finishes. With that said, his last round at the Honda Classic was dreadful, just the latest sign that his putting needs a lot of work; he ranks 103rd in Strokes Gained: Putting this season.
Matt Fitzpatrick (+5000)
He has cracked the top ten in consecutive starts at Pebble Beach and TPC Scottsdale. He did have to withdraw ahead of the Genesis Invitational due to illness, but he was second in Strokes Gained: Approach and sixth in Strokes Gained: Tee to Green after those top-tens.
Jon Rahm (+1000)
Rahm is the top-ranked golfer in the world and has only failed to get under par one time in the last seven months. He did collapse here in the last round in 2019, and there’s not a lot of value here.
Bryson DeChambeau (+2000)
The big hitter has improved each time he’s been at TPC Sawgrass, with a T3 finish here in 2021. However, he has not played in a tournament since he withdrew in Saudi Arabia with hip and hand ailments.
Jason Kokrak (+6500)
Did you know that Kokrak has three PGA Tour wins in his last 31 starts? His best finish at TPC Sawgrass was his T9 a year ago. But that is a lot of value…
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