Nearly all of the biggest names on the PGA Tour are gearing up for the 2023 Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass and the competition should be some of the best we see all season.
That’s what you expect to happen for an event with golf’s highest purse at an eye-popping $25 million.
Jon Rahm, Scottie Scheffler, Justin Thomas, Jordan Speith and Rory McIlroy highlight just some of elite golfers teeing it up this week. Tiger Woods, however, is skipping the event he’s won twice as he continues to prepare for The Masters in April.
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— THE PLAYERS (@THEPLAYERSChamp) March 6, 2023
After defending Players champion Cam Smith defected to LIV Golf, the title is assured to find a new home this year. So who’s taking home the trophy (and $4.5 million payday)?
Charles Curtis and Blake Schuster have some thoughts.
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Who's winning?
Blake: Rory McIlroy (+900)
I’m typically wary of picking odds-on favorites but I’m not sure how I’m supposed to go against a resurgent Rory at a course he dominates. McIlroy was one or two mistakes away from winning last week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational and historically plays exceptionally well on the Florida swing. Most importantly, he’s won The Players once before and owns four Top 10 finishes. Expect him to attack the Pete Dye course all weekend.
Charles Curtis: Max Homa (+2000)
Love the odds on a guy who’s been lights out pretty much all season and who was T13 last year at Sawgrass.
Who's a lock to finish Top 10?
Blake: Jason Day (+240)
The Australian has four Top 10 finishes at TPC Sawgrass in 12 events. He’s also finished inside the Top 10 in each of his last four PGA events. That’s about as much of a lock as you’ll find right now.
Charles: Scottie Scheffler (+105)
I’ve stopped looking at names like his and Jon Rahm’s and thought, “Well, they can’t keep this up.” Because they’re keeping this up. So I’ll say he lands in the top 10 even though he hasn’t been great in the past here.
Who's missing the cut?
Blake: Rickie Fowler (+140)
Rickie has played some of his best golf at TPC Sawgrass (a win in 2015, second place in 2012) and some of his worst (six missed cuts). He’s been looking significantly better this year, but I’ll take him missing the cut once again at plus money.
Charles: Tom Kim (+188)
Don’t love what I’ve seen out of him in lately, and in a stacked field, I’m fading him.
Who's a longshot you like?
Blake: Shane Lowry (+5000)
I went back and forth between Shane, Collin Morikawa (+2500) and Will Zalatoris (+2800). Ultimately I went with the longer odds on the board and a guy who has been playing sneaky well as of late with three Top 25 finishes (not to mention he placed 13th and 8th at TPC Sawgrass the last two years, respectively).
Charles: Tyrell Hatton (+3300)
A great finish last week to be T4 at the Arnold Palmer, a T13 here last year … hmmmm.
One and Done Pick
Blake: Jon Rahm
Biggest money event of the year. Don’t overthink this one — even if Rahm is coming off a horrendous finish to the API last week. Take the No. 1 player in the world and watch him pull in some serious cash.
Charles: Rory McIlroy
Gotta pick a star here, either the guy above or Rory. With the money available and the field, you need a favorite.
Prop Bets!
Will there be a hole-in-one on No. 17?
Blake: Yes! (and if you can take the +375 boost on FanDuel, do it for no other reason than it’s entertaining to root for).
Charles: Yes.
Will Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm and Scottie Scheffler all make the cut?
Blake: Yes. Not saying it’s free money, but it’s as close as you can get to it.
Charles: Yes. Heck yes.
Winning Margin
Blake: Playoff (+350). Again, taking this purely for entertainment reasons. I want to see these guys take on No. 17 with all the money on the line. Plus we haven’t seen a Playoff at TPC Sawgrass since Rickie Fowler took down Sergio Garcia and Kevin Kisner in 2015. We’re overdue for the drama.
Charles: 1 stroke (+225). DRAMA!
