The Players Championship Odds: Day A Strong Bet To Win

A stacked field will compete this weekend in the Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass with 43 of the top 50 golfers in the world rankings set to tee off. World No. 1 Jon Rahm tops the Players Championship odds at +900, tied with world No. 3 Rory McIlroy.

The 40th edition of the Players Championship runs March 9-12 and features a record $25-million purse up for grabs. With reigning champion Cameron Smith not in the field, the Players will yet again not have a repeat winner.

What Are The Players Championship Odds?

Odds as of March 7

Rahm Or Rory? Who’s A Better Bet To Win The Players?

All signs point to Rory this week if you were to choose from one of the two favorites to win the tournament. Lucky for us, we get to see the two duel alongside Scottie Scheffler in the Thursday and Friday rounds.

Featured groups for THE PLAYERS Championship.

🏆 @McIlroyRory
⭐️ @JonRahmpga
⭐️ Scottie Scheffler

🏆 @JustinThomas34
⭐️ @JordanSpieth
⭐️ @maxhoma23 #THEPLAYERS pic.twitter.com/r86drfwSuU

— THE PLAYERS (@THEPLAYERSChamp) March 5, 2023

At TPC Sawgrass, which led the PGA Tour in penalty strokes per round last year, there are hazards galore, with at least one on every hole. It is a long course of over 7,200 yards, which bodes well for McIlroy, the PGA leader in driving distance at 327.6 yards on average, seven yards more than second-place Brandon Matthews.

Furthermore, McIlroy won this tournament in 2019 and has top-10 finishes from 2013, 2014 and 2015. Rahm, meanwhile, has just one top-10 finish over his five starts at the Players Championship and posted a miserable T55 last year, marking the third time he has finished outside the top 50 in the tournament.

With both of these top-tier golfers sitting atop the oddsboard, I would favor McIlroy over Rahm in the battle of +900 but I think there’s value elsewhere.

The Players Championship Outright Picks

I have three players I will be backing this weekend: Justin Thomas (+2000), Jason Day (+3000) and Viktor Hovland (+2800).

Why JT Will Win The Players

It’s been a bit of a struggle this year for Justin Thomas, who has made the cut in each of his six events but has cracked the top 20 just once – a fourth-place finish at the Waste Management Open.

That said, JT has been strong at TPC Sawgrass in his career, winning in 2021 and placing third in 2016. He’s in the top 50 for shots gained off the tee and driving distance while also being the best scramble golfer from the fringe and sixth-best in sand trap save percentage.

Look for JT to put together another strong performance like he did back in February.

Can Jason Day Win The Players Again?

It was a disaster Players last year for Day, who failed to make the cut at 3 over. However, the Australian has a win here back in 2017 and had back-to-back top-10 finishes in 2018 and 2019 – there’s success there.

No. 43 in the world, Day has been on fire of late with six straight top-20 finishes and four straight top-10s, including a 10th-place finish last week in the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

He is the second-best scrambler, his long-distance putting from 15 to 20 feet is second-best and his driving accuracy ranks 29th. It appears that he’s playing some of his best golf in a while and at 28:1 he’s worth a look to win again.

Hovland Looks To Build Off 2022 Outing

The Norwegian is coming off his first top-10 finish of 2023 last week in the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Hovland was in contention heading into Sunday, one shot back of leader and eventual winner Kurt Kitayama, but a disappointing 75 dropped him to T10.

The 25-year-old put together a ninth-place finish at the Players Championship last year, a major upgrade from missing the cut the previous season.

Hovland is primed for a good showing this weekend, currently ranking first in short-range putts from three and four feet, seventh in shots gained off the tee and eighth in Round 1 scoring average, which makes him a strong play to be the first-round leader as well.

The Players Championship First-Round Leader Odds

Odds as of March 7

Props

Golf is unique for many reasons, but one of them is the significant number of betting props available at weekly tournaments. The Players Championship is no different.

Sportsbooks are offering odds on things like whether there will be a hole-in-one, OVER/UNDERs on the winning score for the eventual champion and odds on which players from specific countries will have the lowest score, to name a few.

Like other sports, betting on props is a fun and unique way to enhance your golf gambling experience.

Live Betting

Live Betting is arguably one of the most exciting ways to bet on golf. If the player you placed a pre-tournament bet on is out of the running at any point during the Players Championship, you can bet on another golfer as the days go by and have another stake in the game.

If there are only a few men in the hunt on the final day, the odds likely won’t be significantly high, but your chances of winning are.

These helpful pages will assist you in handicapping your golf wagers: