PGA Tour Picks – Odds to Win THE PLAYERS Championship
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No. 1 Rory McIlroy is the betting favorite
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In 46 years of THE PLAYERS there has never been a successful title defense
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Bookmaker offering welcome bonus with a maximum of $1000 for this event
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Major season is just around the corner, though some will argue it’s already here with THE PLAYERS Championship on tap this week. Called the fifth major on the PGA Tour, the event has the biggest prize pool of any on Tour with the winner collecting a payday of $2.7 million. That’s enough to attract the best players in the world with the top-10 in the OWGR all scheduled to attack the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. Defending champion and world No. 1 Rory McIlroy is the betting favorite, but is there really a favored golfer in a field as strong as this one? Visit BookMaker.eu for current odds and to place your wager.
THE PLAYERS Championship
Dates: Thursday, March 12 - Sunday, March 15, 2020
Location: TPC Sawgrass, Ponte Vedra Beach, FL
Opening PGA Tour Odds: Rory McIlroy +685
THE PLAYERS Championship TV Coverage: Golf Channel, NBC
Odds Analysis
Somebody has to be at the top of the odds board and considering how well McIlroy has played since winning here last year, he’s as good a pick as any at +685. Rory has top-5s in his last seven worldwide starts with a victory at the WGC-HSBC Champions tossed in. There are two schools of thought when it comes to Rory’s run. He’s good enough to play in the final groups on Sunday’s, but he can’t close out the events.
It’s hard to win on Tour so I’ll go with the former. And no one has been on a run of form like this. The one thing working against Rory is history. In 46 years of THE PLAYERS there has never been a successful title defense. If anyone can do it McIlroy can the way he’s playing.
Brooks Koepka, the third-ranked golfer in the world, is well down the odds list at +4957, just another sign of how good this field is. Koepka has struggled since knee surgery and his 81 last week dropped him. THE PLAYERS isn’t officially a major, but it’s close enough, and we know how well Brooks plays on the big stage.
TPC Sawgrass has hosted since 1982 so don’t expect many surprises. It’s short by Tour standards at less than 7,200 yards and plays at par 72. It is Florida meaning plenty of water hazards along with numerous bunkers strategically placed along on the track to give players a big number.
Course management and accuracy are important for a successful run. Par 5s at No. 2 and No. 16 offer up chances to make up strokes, as long as you don’t lose them on the iconic 17th island green by dropping a tee shot in the drink. Avoiding the sand and water puts players in position to play the weekend in search of the big payout.
Odds to Win THE PLAYERS Championship at BookMaker.eu
Rory McIlroy +685
Jon Rahm +915
Bryson Dechambeau +2015
Justin Thomas +2042
Xander Schauffele +2450
Dustin Johnson +2500
Patrick Cantlay +2505
Hideki Matsuyama +2805
Tommy Fleetwood +3224
Sungjae Im +3354
Webb Simpson +3419
Adam Scott +3997
Rickie Fowler +4150
Collin Morikawa +4150
Patrick Reed +4377
Brooks Koepka +4957
Gary Woodland +5050
Put the names of 20 of the best golfers in the world on a wall, close your eyes, and throw a dart. Wherever it lands probably wouldn’t be a bad pick in this loaded field. It’s all going to come down to ball-striking, staying clear of the many obstacles and hazards that guard the course, and, as always, a little bit of luck.
The one player that really stands out due to his extended brilliance is McIlroy. If you hang around the top of the leaderboard anything can happen. And Rory has done that with his last seven worldwide starts resulting in a top-5. He’s been so good that it doesn’t matter if there’s never been a back-to-back winner at THE PLAYERS.
One player to keep an eye on this week is Tommy Fleetwood. A star on the Euro circuit he’s never won a PGA Tour event and took exception to recent comments by analyst Paul Azinger, who suggested PGA wins are more prestigious and harder to win. Fleetwood lost by two-strokes at the Honda Classic that week. Extra incentive is something that could separate players in a field like this. Fleetwood now has it.
From 2007 to 2018 THE PLAYERS was contested in May giving it an entirely different look. The course setup was different and so was the weather. Looking at how players performed in those editions isn’t a true indication. Recent form gives a clearer picture leaving guys like Jon Rahm, Xander Schauffele, Tyrrell Hatton and Daniel Berger as serious contenders.
Bet THE PLAYERS Championship at BookMaker.eu
This really is anybody’s tournament. McIlroy is the obvious choice, but considering what we’ve seen the last few weeks on both the PGA and Euro Tours, someone from further down the odds list will make a scene. I like Fleetwood. He’s come close on several occasions and he’s more focused now than ever before.
THE PLAYERS Championship Pick: Tommy Fleetwood
Top-10 Lock: Rory McIlroy
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- Phil Simon, Gambling911.com
