PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Tiger Woods, Justin Thomas, Brooks Koepka and the rest of the strongest field in golf have arrived at TPC Sawgrass for the 2019 Players Championship.
The tournament has a bit of a different feel this week having been relocated from May to March, and the course might favor a different type of player than year’s past.
Here are my top 20 fantasy picks for the week.
20. Patrick Cantlay: Finished top-25 in both prior Players appearances and has been consistently strong all season.
19. Matt Kuchar: Cooling off a bit, but he won here in 2012 and has two victories elsewhere this season.
18. Tony Finau: Hasn’t had any Players success in three prior tries, but distance will serve him well in colder conditions.
17. Gary Woodland: Another bomber having a strong season with six top-10s and two runner-ups this season.
16. Alex Noren: Struggling with his game right now but finished T-17 and T-10 in two prior Players starts.
15. Jon Rahm: Hasn’t played well here but currently riding a stretch of six top-10 finishes in seven starts.
14. Sergio Garcia: The 2008 champion has six top-10 finishes in 19 career starts at TPC Sawgrass.
13. Webb Simpson: Defending champion has made 15 consecutive cuts dating back to last season.
12. Tiger Woods: Two-time Players winner looks to bounce back from neck injury that left him out at Bay Hill.
11. Tommy Fleetwood: Don’t be deterred by tough finish at Bay Hill for Fleetwood, who was T-7 last year at TPC Sawgrass.
10. Bryson DeChambeau: Finished T-37 last year and owns five worldwide wins since.
9. Francesco Molinari: API champ has three top-10 finishes in his last four Players starts.
8. Jason Day: The 2016 Players champ says he’s good to go after early Bay Hill exit due to back injury.
7. Xander Schauffele: Finished T-2 in his Players debut last year and currently enjoying a streak of three straight top-15s.
6. Justin Rose: One top 10 finish in 15 career starts at TPC Sawgrass shouldn’t scare anyone off due to current form.
5. Brooks Koepka: Nothing worse than T-35 in his last three Players starts and looking to bounce back from missed cut at Bay Hill.
4. Rickie Fowler: He’s missed the cut twice here since winning in 2015, but boasts Phoenix win and T-2 at Honda this spring.
3. Justin Thomas: Finished T-11 last year and looks to be pain-free after dealing with arm pain at Honda Classic.
2. Rory McIlroy: Five straight top-6 finishes on Tour and doesn’t seem too concerned about Sunday struggles.
1. Dustin Johnson: Doesn’t have a top-10 finish at Players, but distance will be a bigger advantage this year than it was in May.
