Golf’s Fifth Major is here! The 50th Players Championship will once again be the biggest non-major event of the year. Historically one of the more volatile tournaments from year to year, recent history has seen some of the game’s best win the famous event. Scottie Scheffler, Cameron Smith, Justin Thomas, and Rory McIlroy have all won in the last 5 years. It takes a special player to win at TPC Sawgrass.
To put it simply, expect the best from the very best. But there will definitely be a lot of flameouts from the big guns as well. TPC Sawgrass has been very unpredictable, largely due to the amount of hazards that come into play.
The Course: TPC Sawgrass
TPC Sawgrass demands extreme focus the entire round. One singular mental lapse can and will derail a round, quickly going from good to bad. Water will be in play on every hole but 1. This will make golfers dial back the tee shots on occasion, resulting in more fairways found but further approach shots.
Further approach shots will make the short game extremely important. I would not consider betting on golfers who struggle with either the putter or around the green. *Cough* Viktor Hovland *Cough*
Anyway…my point is this: the pressure of winning The Players Championship will require the best from every facet of the game. This is why one of the best, big-name golfers typically wins the thing. I will be looking for players who are statistically elite in ball striking, scrambling, and putting.
Best Bets: The Players Championship
Ludvig Aberg (+3500)
Ludvig Aberg is going to be special. We all know that. I think it’s a matter of a year or two before he’s the number 1 golfer in the world. And to get to that status, Aberg will first have to win some big events.
Had weather not cut it short and handed the trophy to Wyndham Clark, I think Ludvig could have and would have won at Pebble Beach. There’s a chance Aberg garners my interest in all 4 majors, especially if the sportsbooks continue to give us odds this good. For someone I think will be a generational golfer, I will gladly take 35-1.
The data backs up my confidence in not only this week at TPC Sawgrass but in Aberg’s future as well. As a 24-year-old, he has 14 consecutive events of gaining strokes from Tee to Green. He’s also gained strokes Putting in 8 of his last 9 events. He is about as flawless as a golfer can get, and if he’s showing this at this point of his career, the big wins are coming in no time. Don’t miss out on these high odds!
Eric Cole (+11000, Top 10 +900)
I knew I was going to bet on Eric Cole regardless of his odds, but when I started looking for him, I couldn’t find him. For a second, I thought he might not be playing for some reason. Little did I know, Eric Cole has gained zero respect from the oddsmakers this week. Thinking he would be in the range of 50:1 or 60:1, my mouth started watering when I saw his name in the triple digits.
Eric Cole, the reigning Rookie of the Year, is an incredibly consistent player. He’s missed just 6 cuts in the last 12 months, and just about every other result is a Top 20 or better. He has finished at T21 or better in 10 of the 14 events he’s played in since The Tour Championship. This is primarily behind his strong and consistent ball-striking, and topping it off with world-class putting.
While TPC Sawgrass typically sees a big-name win, Eric Cole can steal the show this week. Even if he doesn’t win, I still want to be able to cash in on this complete overlook from the oddsmakers. I think you can feel very good placing a Top 10 bet at 9-1. This Floridian will putt his way to the top of the leaderboard!