Betsided

The Players Championship Picks and Predictions (Can Scottie Scheffler go Back-to-Back?)

By Iain MacMillan

March 12: Scottie Scheffler holds up The Players Championship trophy at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra
March 12: Scottie Scheffler holds up The Players Championship trophy at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra / Corey Perrine / USA TODAY NETWORK
facebooktwitterreddit

Scottie Scheffler learned how to putt at last week's Arnold Palmer Invitational and ran away from the field en route to a five-stroke victory. Now, the PGA Tour heads to the unofficial fifth major, the Players Championship.

The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass is one of the most iconic events on the PGA Tour's schedule and fresh off a win at the API, Scottie Scheffler will attempt to successfully defense his title.

Let's dive into the tournament and then I'll break down my three best outright bets to win.

If you want to bet on the Arnold Palmer Invitational, be sure to take advantage of this offer from Caesars Sportsbook. For a limited time, new users who sign up for an account using the link below will have their first bet covered by Caesars, up to $1,000!

The Players Championship Odds

The Players Championship How to Watch

  • Thursday: 1 pm - 7 pm EST (Golf Channel)
  • Friday: 1 pm - 7 pm EST (Golf Channel)
  • Saturday: 2 pm - 7 pm EST (NBC)
  • Sunday: 1 pm - 6 pm EST (NBC_

The Players Championship Purse

  • Date: Thursday, March 14 - Sunday, March 17
  • Purse: $25 million ($5 million winner's share)
  • Defending champion: Scottie Scheffler

The Players Championship Notable Golfers

Scottie Scheffler: The No. 1 ranked golfer in the world has been putting up historic ball striking numbers over the past year, but his poor putting has kept him from winning events. Last week, he got the flat stick going, gaining +1.3 strokes on greens which led him to a five-stroke win. If he can continue putting that well, nobody is going to beat him whenever he tees it up. The defending champ has a great shot at going back-to-back this week.

Justin Thomas: The 2021 winner of the Players Championship could be poised to make a run at it this week. He's coming off a strong T12 finish at last week's Arnold Palmer Invitational and clearly knows how to make his way around TPC Sawgrass.

The Players Championship Picks

Scottie Scheffler +550

Betting on the tournament favorite, especially at these odds, is near blasphemy in the golf betting community but if last week isn't a fluke and Scottie Scheffler has truly figured out how to putt, it's game over for the rest of the PGA Tour. I'm no exaggerating when I say he may just go on a "Tiger in his prime" type of run here. His ball striking numbers were already at that level and the only thing he was missing was a solid putter. He may have that missing piece now.

I'm not going to be the idiot who's sitting there without a Scheffler bet on Sunday when he's winning by five strokes once again. Sure, I'll make some other bets too, but I'm getting some money in on the No. 1 ranked golfer in t he world.

Hideki Matsuyama +3500

Despite going T22, WIN, T12 in his last three starts, Hideki Matsuyama still isn't getting the love that he deserves from the betting market. We have seen soem vintage Matsuyama performances lately and for the first time in my memory, he's gained strokes on the green in three-straight starts. In a lot of ways, he's like a lesser Scheffler. He's a fantastic ball striker who has been missing a putter, but has found his way around the greens in recent starts.

Let's also recognize his course history. He finished solo fifth here last season and let's remember he tied the course record with a 63 back in 2020 before the event was cancelled after the opening round due to the start of the COVID pandemic. It's time for him to get a win at TPC Sawgrass.

Tom Hoge +6600

No golfer gained more strokes on approach last week than Tom Hoge, gaining +2.37 strokes on the field with his irons. His putter let him down, which is unusual for Hoge, who gained strokes putting in the straight events before the API. If he kept that up last week along with his irons, he would've been in contention with Scheffler on Sunday.

Now, Hoge returns to TPC Sawgrass where he finished T3 last season. So, we have someone who has a red-hot approach game paired with great course history at 66/1. Sounds like a great bet to me.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

You can check out all of Iain's bets here!

Home/Golf Predictions & Picks