Best Bets at the 2021 THE PLAYERS Championship

It’s not quite a major, but THE PLAYERS Championship is the next closest thing. The unofficial “fifth” major on the PGA Tour brings all the best players to the Jacksonville area to compete on one of the United States’ most iconic golf courses. This tournament has the biggest prize purse of any event on the PGA Tour with $15 million at stake.

Dustin Johnson is the +1200 favorite for this year’s event with Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy, Bryson DeChambeau, and Justin Thomas the only other golfers at less than 20-1 per the golf betting odds.

Event Details

Event: THE PLAYERS Championship

Category: PGA Tour

Date: March 11-14, 2021

Location: TPC at Sawgrass, Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida

Past Winners

2020: Cancelled

2019: Rory McIlroy -16

2018: Webb Simpson -18

2017: Kim Si-woo -10

2016: Jason Day -15

The 2020 PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP became the first PGA Tour event cancelled due to COVID. Players competed in the first round of the tournament, but it was called off after Thursday as the entire sports world and life in general shut down.

That means the defending champion is Rory McIlroy. McIlroy beat Ponte Vedra resident Jim Furyk by one stroke in 2019. Webb Simpson and Jason Day each won this event by four strokes over the last five years, and Kim Si-Woo beat two golfers by three strokes in 2017.

The Course

TPC at Sawgrass is home to perhaps the most iconic hole in the United States. The par-3 17^th hole is legendary for being a nerve-rattling hole with incredible aesthetics because it is an island green. Dozens of golfers will miss the green or have their balls roll into the water over the course of the four-day tournament.

This course is more than just the 17^th though. The 18^th hole is tough with water down the left side, and there are some tough holes in the front nine too. Interestingly, the unique layout of the course means that no consecutive holes are ever played in the same direction. That means golfers must always account for changing wind here.  

Value Play to Win the Tournament: Adam Scott +8000

Scott is 80-1 because he has just one T10 finish this season. That came at the Farmers Insurance Open in late January, where he faded a bit after a strong start. He has performed very well at this tournament over the last five years though with two T12 finishes, a T11, and a T6 to his credit. This course rewards experienced, patient players that are familiar with how to finesse the fairways and greens, and this will be his 19^th appearance. Scott won THE PLAYERS Championship in 2004 and finished T8 in 2005 and 2007.

Top 5 Prop: Rory McIlroy +400

There has never been a repeat winner of THE PLAYERS Championship, but McIlroy is definitely a top contender. He has finished T21 in eight of the nine events he has entered this season, and he has been at his best in the biggest events. McIlroy finished T8 at the US Open in September, T5 at the November Masters, and T6 at the WGC Championships last month. He has four T8 finishes in his last seven trips here.

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