Rafael Guillén
This is the fifth major of the season. The Players Championship, is considered one of the most important tournaments of the season on the PGA Tour. The best golfers of the moment will be on one of the most iconic and complicated courses on the tour.
It is said that The Players Championship could be another major due to the quality of the course and the prize money to be distributed, as it is one of the highest on the PGA Tour. The best of the world’s Top 50 and winners of the last three years of the most important tournaments such as the Arnold Palmer, the Genesis Invitational and the Memorial Tournament will be present.
It is such a high level tournament and so complicated because of the course, that no player, since 1974, has won it consecutively. Jack Nicklaus is the top winner with three victories, but his victories didn’t come in a row, and Tiger Woods won it in 2001 and 2013.
It is played in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, at the legendary TPC Sawgrass course and has a rating of 76.4, the highest so far in the calendar. Home of the Island Green, which is the 17th hole, a par three, which has the green located on a small island, and is well remembered for the 1998 Players’ incident when Brad Fabel’s approach ball was picked up by a seagull.
Its design makes it one of the most complicated, due to its narrow fairways, high and poorly maintained roughs, palm trees that prevent visibility and wet greens that make the ball very fast. Many professionals suffer, like JC Snead, who dubbed it “90% crap and 10% luck”.
This element is part of the attraction of The Players Championship. Winning it is like winning a major: the difficult course and high standard is a perfect lead-up to April, when players travel to Augusta for the Masters. Without further ado, JefeBet brings you the favorites and their odds for this tournament that will undoubtedly be spectacular.
Let’s keep in mind that there is no defending champion in the field, because last year’s winner, Cameron Smith, went to LIV and is banned from defending his title at TPC.
Predictions, Odds, and Betting Previews for the Players Championship PGA Tour Event to be Held on March 9–12 2023
- Where: TPC Sawgrass – Ponte Vedra, Florida
- When: Thursday, March 9 – Sunday, March 12
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Favorites
Jon Rahm (Odds +900 at DraftKings)
He has had perhaps the season of his life, but after a week off after winning the Genesis Open, he looked sluggish at the Arnold Palmer and finished 39th–his worst tournament so far.
That does not mean he is not a favorite, it is unlikely that he will have two weak tournaments in a row. The Arnold Palmer was to reheat engines and arrive at the TPC Sawgrass more tuned. He already has three tournament victories this year and is going for his fourth. If he achieves it, he will be one of the fastest golfers to do so. He has not fared so well on this course, as he has only one top 10 in the last 10 tournaments in Ponte Vedra.
Rory McIlroy (Odds +850 at DraftKings)
He returned to the PGA Tour hesitantly, but at the Arnold Palmer, we saw the Rory we all like to see: consistent, aggressive, and scoring on the greens. His first round was not good, he shot 73 and a dreadful double bogey on hole six. It looked like he was still on vacation. But just as the second round started and the Northern Irishman woke up,
that third round threatened Kitayama, who let up under pressure from Rory. The fourth round was good, but it was not enough to take the top spot. For the Players, he arrives in a very good shape, he already won it in 2019 and as we see there are no consecutive champions, he already spent a good time and is perfect to achieve his second Players.
Justin Thomas (Odds +2000 at DraftKings)
The 2021 winner is in theory the last champion in the field due to the absence of Cameron Smith. Justin has had good performances this season, most notably at the Phoenix Open, where he finished fourth.
He is not yet the Justin Thomas we used to know, but he knows the TPC Sawgrass very well, and by being the defending champion, he is an automatic favorite. He did well in the Arnold Palmer, but is still a little weak. He finished in 21st place with a very good second round, where he shot 67.
Sleeper Picks
Kurt Kitayama (Odds +9000 at DraftKings)
His victory at the Arnold Palmer put him in the elite and orbit of the PGA Tour. That was his first PGA Championship and he did great. His first two rounds were spectacular, as he shot a 67 and a 68, that gave him the lead, which he didn’t let go with Mcllroy on fire. His good level can surprise everyone in Ponte Vedra, which explains the high odds.
Jason Day (Odds +2800 at DraftKings)
He has not won a tournament for 5 years, but his great start this season suggests that maybe the bad streak is about to end for Jason, who has finished in the top 10 five times this season.
In the Phoenix Open, he finished fifth playing practical golf. He took more risks in the Arnold Palmer and finished 10th, but with a quite good sensation.
Dark Horse
Patrick Cantlay (Odds +1600 at DraftKings)
Second at the Shriners Open, third at the Phoenix Invitational, and fourth at the Arnold Palmer, Cantlay is doing well. So, winning at TPC Sawgrass could be a career milestone. He has not fared very well historically in the tournament: the last two times he finished 22nd and 23rd, respectively; so, it would be a surprise if he wins The Players.
JefeBet Prediction
It would be easy to say that Jon Rahm can take the tournament, but on this occasion we believe that after his little break and comeback at the Arnold Palmer, he is still not at his best (which says a lot).
We believe it will be Rory McIlroy who will take the tournament and win his second Players Championship. Rahm will fight and finish in the top 5 players, but the Northern Irishman has already shown that, when he wants to, he is the best on the planet.
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