This weekend, 144 of the world’s finest will descend upon TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. for the PGA TOUR’s flagship event, THE PLAYERS Championship. Long unofficially considered the world’s “fifth major”, the tournament boasts an illustrious group of winners, including the two-time defending champion, Scottie Scheffler, Justin Thomas, Rory McIlroy, Tiger Woods (twice), and Jack Nicklaus (three times).
Unsurprisingly, the world’s number one player is the betting favorite to become the first player in tournament history to win three times in a row. Scheffler (+400) is followed by McIlroy (+1100), Collin Morikawa (+1400), Ludvig Åberg (+1600), Thomas (+2200), and Xander Schauffele (+2200).
Here’s who the public is backing to win the TOUR’s biggest prize:
Interestingly, while Scheffler is the clear favorite and two-time defending champion who has recorded two Top-10 finishes and a tie for 11th in his four appearances so far this season, he’s only the fifth-most backed golfer to lift the trophy on Sunday afternoon. Instead, by far the most popular pick, especially from big-money bettors, is Åberg.
The 25-year-old Swede has been remarkable in his first two seasons on the PGA TOUR, including a victory at The Genesis Invitational in February. This season, Åberg has recorded two Top-5 finishes in his five starts, and he’s been especially stellar with his driver, as he ranks 21st in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee and 13th in driving distance, a critical asset at TPC Sawgrass, which is one of the harder courses on the circuit off the tee. He is also in good form, having closed out his tie for 22nd at the Arnold Palmer Invitational with a four-under 68 on Sunday.
But while there are some traditional favorites among the most-bet, there are also a couple of interesting long-shots worthy of discussion, including the public’s second-most backed golfer, Straka. The Austrian has been on an absolute tear this season, with six Top-25 finishes among his eight starts, including a victory at The American Express in January. Straka also finished fifth at last weekend’s Arnold Palmer Invitational. In theory, Straka’s game fits the course well, given that he complements an accurate driving game with pinpoint iron precision.
Bettors are also high on Hideki Matsuyama, who won The Sentry at the start of the season, although the 2021 Masters champion might be a little too erratic off the tee to win. After his victory in the season’s first tournament, the Japanese star has only finished in the Top 20 twice, and he fell one stroke outside that number last weekend. Although he’s been brilliant with his irons and wedges this season, ranking in the top quartile in Strokes Gained: Approach the Green, Strokes Gained: Around the Green, and Strokes Gained: Putting, his normally sturdy driver has been abandoned him somewhat, and he’s hit barely more than half of his fairways this season.
Rounding out the five most-bet golfers are Morikawa, who lost out on the trophy last weekend by a single stroke, and Scheffler. Given that they rank first and second, respectively, in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green, their games should theoretically be made for TPC Sawgrass. But Scheffler’s short odds and Morikawa’s mediocre history at the tournament have held them back from attracting more of the handle. Åberg, Straka, Matsuyama, Morikawa, and Scheffler are the only five golfers who have attracted more than 5% of total bets.
Finally, the two biggest long shots to attract significant interest at DraftKings Sportsbook are Wyndham Clark and Daniel Berger, who both have +6000 odds to lift the trophy. Clark, the 2023 U.S. Open champion, has struggled this season, recording only two Top-20 finishes in his six starts, although he did miss out by a stroke last weekend at Bay Hill. Berger, meanwhile, has five Top-25 finishes in his seven appearances, including each of his past four tournaments, and his well-rounded game is theoretically well-suited for TPC Sawgrass.
