The 47th edition of The Players Championship tees off on Friday with TPC Sawgrass playing host to the second-last leg of the Florida Swing.
Two-time winner Tiger Woods won’t be in attendance due to back problems, leaving nine of the world’s Top 10 golfers to duke it out for the trophy and the $15 million prize fund.
This is always one of the most exciting events on Tour largely due to the unpredictable nature of the 17th island hole, so if you’re looking for a few winners, be sure to read our entire 2020 Players Championship Preview below.
2020 The Players Championship Best Bet
Justin Thomas – $17.00
Thomas hasn’t missed the cut at The Players since debuting in 2015, with his best finish being a T3 one year later. The 26-year-old comes in fresh after a T6 in Mexico last month, while his approach to the green has also been impeccable. Thomas ranks 12th in greens hit during regulation and eighth in shots gained: approach the green. Second in birdie average and fourth in scoring average puts him in line for his second win of the year.
2020 The Players Championship Best Roughie
Webb Simpson – $29.00
Incredibly over the odds when you factor in Simpson’s win at TPC Sawgrass in 2018. His recent run of form – which includes a win at the Phoenix Open in February – isn’t too shabby either. The 34-year-old ranks first on Tour in birdie average and seventh in greens hit during regulation. We haven’t seen Simpson since his T61 in Mexico, but he’s the complete package with some rest on his side.
2020 The Players Championship Top 5 Finish
Rory McIlroy – $2.88
The defending champ is again the favourite this weekend after stringing together his seventh consecutive worldwide finish inside the top five at Bay Hill. The Irishman was in the driver’s seat on day one shooting -6 under before the same old troubles with the putter reappeared. Nobody in the history of the Players has gone back-to-back, but there’s still enormous value here for another T5 finish.
2020 The Players Championship Top 10 Finish
Sungjae Im – $3.50
There’s really only one word to describe the Korean right now: machine. After earning his first-ever win on Tour at The Honda Classic, Im responded with an outright third at Bay Hill last week in his eighth appearance of the year. The man simply doesn’t rest, so until the bookies start respecting him, I’ll keep tipping him for Top 10 finishes.
Matt Kuchar – $5.50
Like many others, the Tour veteran returns well-rested after finishing T22 in Mexico last month. Nobody has more experience on this course than Kuchar, who broke through with a win in 2012 to go along with seven top 20 finishes. Third here in 2016 and has won once already this year in Singapore.
2020 The Players Championship Top 20 Finish
Hideki Matsuyama – $2.50
Failed to fire at Bay Hill last week falling outside the Top 50, but typically when that happens Matsuyama responds nicely. He’s made the cut five times at TPC Sawgrass with a pair of Top 25 finishes to his name. This course calls for accuracy, which Matsuyama has in abundance with the long irons. Eleventh in shots gained: approach the green and 13th in greens hit during regulation.
Patrick Cantlay – $2.75
Normally I steer clear of players returning from surgery, but Cantlay’s deviated septum procedure isn’t anything to worry about. In fact, it might make him an interesting betting play following a month off. This will mark his fourth appearance at The Players where he finished T22 and T23 in 2017 and 2018 before missing the cut last year. Still, five consecutive finishes inside the Top 20 leaves him looking over the odds.
2020 The Players Championship Top Australian
Adam Scott – $2.63
Missing the cut at Bay Hill last week has given the Aussie a little more rest as he looks ahead to his 19th appearance at Sawgrass. Scott won this event way back in 2004, while he also holds four consecutive Top 20 finishes over the last four years. After showing so much poise with the putter to win at PGA National last month, this is the perfect course for him to rediscover his magic.
2020 The Players Championship Field
Jon Rahm – $13.00
Well rested and playing with a chip on his shoulder. The Spaniard hasn’t played since a T3 in Mexico last month, while he won’t be short on motivation after leading at the end of 54 holes here last year. Rahm’s disappointing 72 on the final day ultimately saw him fall to a T12 finish, but his accuracy with the longer irons should keep him in the mix again this year. Rahm has hit over 70% of greens in regulation and ranks ninth on Tour in birdie average. Three years’ worth of experience at Sawgrass should also come in handy.
Bryson Dechambeau – $21.00
Dechambeau has quietly turned into Mr Consistency over the last few weeks finishing top five in his last three starts. Last weeks fourth at Bay Hill was impressive considering his struggles on day three and he should feel confident in his third start this weekend at TPC Sawgrass following last years T20. Unfortunately, I can’t have him at this price considering his struggles for accuracy both off the tee and on the fairways.
Tommy Fleetwood – $26.00
The last fortnight for the Englishman has been brutal, to say the least. After finding the water on the final hole at The Honda Classic, Fleetwood went on to miss the cut last week at Bay Hill after back-to-back opening rounds of 76. The good news is he’s carded back-to-back Top 10’s at TPC Sawgrass whilst ranking fifth in shots gained: tee to green last year. A bounce-back is expected.
Xander Schauffele – $26.00
Ninth in greens hit during regulation and eighth in scoring average makes Schauffele a name to watch this weekend. He’s back for his third consecutive appearance at this event after finishing T2 in 2018 and missing the cut last year. The only real query is putting, which largely let him down last week at Bay Hill.
Patrick Reed – $36.00
Finished T15 at Bay Hill last week after winning in Mexico a fortnight earlier. It was a strong result for Reed after things went pear-shaped on day three, but his form at TPC Sawgrass has been spotty at best. In three appearances, he missed the cut twice and failed to finish inside the Top 20 on all occasions.
Rickie Fowler – $36.00
Fowler won this event back in 2015, but his run of form at TPC Sawgrass since then hasn’t been quite so great. He’s missed the cut twice and failed to finish inside the top 40, so while last week’s T18 at Bay Hill was nice, it’s still tough to trust the 31-year-old.
Gary Woodland – $41.00
For a guy so well known for his driving distance, Woodland has been surprisingly accurate with the irons. The reigning US Open winner ranks sixth in greens hit during regulation and is well-rested following a T8 at The Honda Classic. This will mark Woodland’s ninth appearance at Sawgrass with his best finish being a T11 in 2014. Everything stacks up for another successful weekend.
Marc Leishman – $46.00
Leishman looks poised to win a major this year if he keeps this up. He lost no admirers last week finishing outright second behind Tyrell Hatton with wayward putting being his only letdown in the final round. Now making his 10th appearance at this event, the Aussie will be hoping to recapture some of the 2013 magic that saw him finish T8.
Tyrrell Hatton – $46.00
The Englishman finally broke through with his first win on Tour last week at Bay Hill. Hatton always looked a chance following a T6 in Mexico, but with two missed cuts in three starts at The Players, I’m happy to leave him out this week.
Matthew Fitzpatrick – $61.00
The 25-year-old was a real eye-catcher last week at Bay Hill where he carded a final round 69 – the only score under 70 all weekend. He’s missed the cut twice in four appearances at TPC Sawgrass, but Fitzpatrick could factor in towards the top of the leaderboard as he continues to climb the world rankings.
Daniel Berger – $71.00
Berger is probably worth a small play at these odds. He’s finished top 10 in his last three events, most recently at The Honda Classic where he carded three rounds of 69. The 26-year-old youngster is another emerging name to keep a close eye on, even if he’s finished Top 10 at Sawgrass only once in five appearances.
Jason Day – $71.00
It’s hard to know how much golf we’ll see from Day this weekend after withdrawing at Bay Hill last week due to back issues. Even so, the 2016 Players champ is still worth a mention on a course he knows extremely well.
