The 50th edition of The Players Championship
We turn the page on the golf calendar to the unofficial 5th major, The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass. Pete Dye designed a diabolical test of golf that is best described as the “thrills and spills” course on the PGA Tour schedule. The volatility of this tournament makes it a very entertaining watch and presents live in-game betting opportunities.
The scorecard:
The Course Drill Down:
TPC Sawgrass Ponte Vedra, FL
Par 72, 7275 yards
Parkland/Stadium course
15th shortest course on Tour
92 bunkers which is the 5th most on Tour
16 water danger holes, the most on the PGA Tour
Every single hole has at least an 8% Birdie or Better rate and an 8% Bogey rate
Fairways: Ryegrass Overseed with an avg. width of 30.5 yards, 12th narrowest On Tour
Rough: Ryegrass Overseed, very long at 3.5”
Greens: Poa Trivialis, avg. 5500 sq. ft., 12th smallest on Tour, 13 stimp (very fast)
Past Winners:
2023: Scottie Scheffler (-17) 10/1 odds
2022: Cam Smith (-13) 30/1 odds
2021: Justin Thomas (-14) 20/1 odds
2019: Rory McIlroy (-16) 14/1 odds
2018: Webb Simpson -18) 100/1 odds
This week’s Official Plays:
Our plays this week are all ball strikers who hit fairways and greens and a high rate, with the exception of McCarthy who hangs his hat on elite putting/scrambling. Some of these guys are very under the radar names and some are marquee stars.
Will Zalatoris Top 20 +140 (DraftKings/FanDuel/Caesars)
Hideki Matsuyama Top 20 +170 (DraftKings/FanDuel/Caesars)
Tom Hoge Top 20 +260 (DraftKings/FanDuel/Caesars)
Aaron Rai Top 20 +300 (BetMGM)
Doug Ghim Top 20 +350 (BetMGM)
Denny McCarthy Top 20 +400 (BetMGM)