21+ to wager. Please Gamble Responsibly. Call 1-800-NEXT-STEP (AZ), 1-800-522-4700 (KS, NV), 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA), 1-800-270-7117 for confidential help (MI). Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER. Call 877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY) Call 1-800-327-5050 (MA).
The 2023 Players Championship will tee off on Thursday, March 9, and most of the world's best players will be in the field. As usual, TPC Sawgrass will host what is known as golf's "5th Major". Golf fans can't wait to see what kind of drama the iconic 17th island green will have in store.
Rory McIlroy is currently the favorite to win the event at +900 odds over at DraftKings. Scottie Scheffler and Jon Rahm aren't too far behind, as both are at +1000 odds to take home the crown. We don't have any outright picks, but here are 9 bets we're making for The Players Championship.
Hatton has started 5 events this season and has made the cut in all 5 of them. He is coming off a tie for 4th last week at the Palmer Invitational. He also has a 6th place finish this season at the WM Open.
Hatton finished a respectable 13th last year here at the Players. While Tony has been playing well this season, Finau has struggled at the Players and has missed the cut in back-to-back years here. We believe Hatton’s track record over the last couple of years here and Finau’s lack of consistency here will play well for us.
Max Homa is 9 for 9 on cuts made this season. He has won 2 events already this season (Fortinet & Farmers). He finished tied for 14th last week at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
He, like Hatton, finished in 13th last year at the Players. Xander has finished outside the top 30 in back-to-back starts. In his latest, he shot 7 over par over the last 2 rounds. He did have success in 2018 when he finished runner-up.
Since that 2nd place finish, Xander has missed the cut in 3 straight appearances. Homa’s recent form, combined with Xander’s struggles at the Players, makes this one a must-play.
Jason Day +105 OVER Patrick Cantlay (DraftKings)
Is Jason Day back? We sure hope so. It has been a rough couple of years for Jason on and off the course. Dating back to the American Express, where he got a Top 20 finish, Day has continued his surge back into the upper echelon of the Tour.
He has picked up a Top 10 finish in 4 straight events since the AMEX. Cantlay has a 3rd, and 4th place finish over his last 2 starts this season after dropping a missed cut at the WM Open.
However, like Xander, he has missed the cut here at the Players for 3 straight starts. If he struggles again and Day can continue his solid play, we could see Day back to his 2018-2019 form when he finished 5th and 8th here at the Players.
Justin Thomas +120 OVER Scottie Scheffler (FanDuel)
JT has finished no worse than 25th in his last 6 starts of the season. His opening start of the season was a weaker 40th finish but a made-cut nonetheless.
He is coming off a 21st finish at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, where he carded a 5 under round on Thursday. Scottie has been off to another great start to his season but has historically struggled here at the Players. He missed the cut in 2021 and finished a weak 55th last year.
JT finished 33rd last year, a year removed from winning the event. JT has had success while Scottie has struggled here at the Players, and at plus money, it makes JT the side we like here.
Top 40: Tommy Fleetwood +135 (FanDuel)
Take out Fleetwood’s missed cut in 2021, and he has 3 starts with finishes inside the Top 40. A 22nd-place finish last year was the worst during that stretch after finishing 5th in 2019 and 7th in 2018.
This season, Fleetwood has already carded two 20th finishes and a 4th at the CJ Cup. We love that we can get him at plus money here on the Top 40.
Top 40: Doug Ghim +300 (FanDuel)
Ghim is going to be a straight-up value play for us. He has struggled through the start of this season. He has missed 5 cuts in the 9 events thus far.
However, we are banking on his recent history here at the Players. He finished 28th in 2021 and then an impressive 6th last year. If he can use the Players to kickstart his mediocre season, we will be in line for a nice 3:1 hit here.
Top 40: Adam Hadwin +160 (DraftKings)
Hadwin has finished inside the Top 40 in 5 out of the 10 events he has participated in this season. His latest one came at the WM Open, where he finished 10th. In 3 of his last 5 starts here at the Players, Hadwin has grabbed Top 40 finishes.
His latest was last year when he slid into the Top 10 with a 9th-place finish. He certainly has the track record and recent form to find his way back inside the Top 40 once again.
Top 30: Corey Conners +135 (FanDuel)
Conners has finished inside the Top 30 in over half of his starts this season. Last week, he finished tied for 21st after shooting over par over the weekend. That was a rarity as Conners is ranked 20th on tour on average, scoring in the 4th rounds.
Here at the Players, he finished 7th in 2021 and a solid 26th this season. He provides decent value here, and even at -110 for a Top 40 is a good play as well.
Top 30: Keegan Bradley +125 (FanDuel)
In 6 of Keegan’s 9 events this year, he has finished inside the Top 30. He is fresh off a 10th-place finish last week at the Palmer Invitational, where he shot 6 under over the weekend play.
Here at the Players, he has gone 4 straight starts inside the Top 30. Last year, he finished 5th and looks to be primed to make a run at the Championship once again.
Bill Christy is a seasoned bettor who operates his own handicapping business. As a senior writer, Bill provides in-depth analysis and identifies edges across several sports at EatWatchBet, including the NFL, CFB, NBA, CBB, and UFC.
Share this Article:
21+ to wager. Please Gamble Responsibly. Call 1-800-NEXT-STEP (AZ), 1-800-522-4700 (KS, NV), 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA), 1-800-270-7117 for confidential help (MI). Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER. Call 877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY) Call 1-800-327-5050 (MA).
