For the fourth designated event in five weeks, the PGA Tour is in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, for the Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass.
Often dubbed “the fifth major,” the Players boasts one of the best fields of the year. Tiger Woods, who made his first start of the season at the Genesis Invitational, decided to sit this one out as he continues to recover. His next event will more than likely be the Masters in April.
A mega-group of Jon Rahm, Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy, the top three players in the Official World Golf Ranking, will tee off at 7:56 a.m. ET Thursday.
Golf course
TPC Sawgrass | Par 72 | 7,256 yards | Pete Dye design
Course comparisons (from Data Golf): 1. Sedgefield Country Club, 2. TPC Twin Cities, 3. Innisbrook Resort (Copperhead)
Course history
This week at TPC Sawgrass is best summed up as "The most volatile sport on the most volatile course."
Jordan Spieth and Tony Finau have combined to miss 11 of 13 cuts here.
Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele have combined to miss six consecutive cuts.
Harris English has… https://t.co/DAcRnGSxLZ pic.twitter.com/knMkNj0C7q
— Ron Klos (@PGASplits101) March 6, 2023
Betting preview
Odds
| Player | Odds | Player | Odds |
| Rory McIlroy | (+900) | Jason Day | (+2900) |
| Jon Rahm | (+1100) | Matt Fitzpatrick | (+3500) |
| Scottie Scheffler | (+1100) | Sungjae Im | (+3500) |
| Patrick Cantlay | (+1800) | Tyrrell Hatton | (+3500) |
| Justin Thomas | (+2000) | Will Zalatoris | (+3500) |
| Max Homa | (+2100) | Cameron Young | (+4000) |
| Collin Morikawa | (+2500) | Tom Kim | (+4000) |
| Tony Finau | (+2800) | Jordan Spieth | (+4100) |
| Viktor Hovland | (+2800) | Keegan Bradley | (+5000) |
| Xander Schauffele | (+2800) | Keith Mitchell | (+5500) |
Max Homa (+2100)
Max Homa is a six-time winner on the PGA Tour, but it’s time for him to add a next-level championship to his resume.
Homa missed the cut at Sawgrass in 2021 but finished 13th last season.
The Cal product is coming off a solid week at Bay Hill (T-14) and has performed well in the designated events so far this season: T-3 (Sentry Tournament of Champions), T-39 (WM Phoenix Open), 2 (Genesis Invitational) and T-14 (Arnold Palmer Invitational).
Viktor Hovland (+2800)
Viktor Hovland tied for 20th (Genesis) and 10th (API) in the last two designated events. The Norwegian is still looking for his first big win on the PGA Tour.
After missing the cut at the 2021 Players, Hovland tied for ninth last season.
Jason Day (+2900)
I can’t stop and won’t stop betting on Jason Day.
He hasn’t cashed an outright ticket for me yet, but he has been as reliable as it gets when it come to top 10s and top 20s.
Day’s results in 2023: T-18 (American Express), T-7 (Farmers), 5th (WMPO), T-9 (Genesis), and T-10 (API).
Over the last few years, the Aussie hasn’t had great success at TPC Sawgrass, missing the cut in ’22 and finishing 35th in ’21. However, Day totaled three top-eight finishes in a four-year stretch from 2016-19, including a win in ’16.
Shane Lowry (+5500)
It’s been a mixed bag for Shane Lowry on the PGA Tour in 2023.
After missing the cut at the WM Phoenix Open, Lowry tied for 14th at the Genesis Invitational and fifth at the Honda Classic. The Irishman finished 67th at last week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational, however, he shot par or better in three of the four rounds (posted an 80 on Saturday).
Lowry has found his groove at Sawgrass over the last two seasons finishing eighth in ’21 and 13th in ’22.
