The Players Championship is sometimes called the fifth major because of the importance that the professional golfers place on the event. It often has the best field of the year, even surpassing the four majors, because it’s open to everyone. And this year was no different.
Of course the overall favorite was the number-one golfer of the year, Scottie Scheffler, who also won last week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational tournament at Florida’s Bay Hill. He also happens to be the defending champion at the Players, always contested at TPC Sawgrass in Florida, so it’s no surprise he was the favorite coming in at +350. And if you bet Scottie to win, you were pretty pleased with the first round where he’s within two strokes of the lead at -5.
Scheffler is right behind the second favorite, Rory McElroy who shot -7 with 10 birdies. McElroy started the day at +450. And is the third highest favorite, Xander Schauffele also at +450, was tied for the lead with McElroy, so if you bet any of those top-tier golfers, you feel pretty good about round 1.
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Loving the Long Shots
But of course everyone looks for value when betting golf, so there’s the temptation to go with some players who have a solid chance of winning, but have much longer odds. The favorite of lots of golf handicappers leading up to the Players was Justin Thomas at +2200. That seemed like a solid bet since he’s been rounding back into the form that made him the top golfer in 2018 following five PGA wins in 2016-2017. But when he finished at +2 after round 1 at the Players, that bet seemed to slide a bit.
Or how about Jordan Spieth, another phenom who seems to have regained his mojo lately? He went off at +3300, and drew lots of attention from the experts prior to the tournament. But he also sputtered to +2 after round 1, a full nine strokes off the lead.
And finally, Will Zalatoris, who led the Palmer last week by four strokes late in the third round, but then imploded. He burst upon the scene a couple of years ago, but has always seemed to come up short, so maybe it’s his time in the Players. Not a bad bet at +2500, but when he scuffled to +1 and a tie for 89th place, he’s got a long way to come back. And now his odds to win are up to +12500.
Getting Back in the Game
So where do you go if your opening bets have let you down and you still want to crush it value-wise?
While you could bet Schauffele whose odds went up to +650 despite leading the pack along with McElroy, who remains at +450. Scheffler is still at +350. Either of those three could realistically hoist the trophy on Sunday but we want longer odds to make it interesting.
How about Matt Fitzpatrick, who won the ’22 U.S. Open? He’s just one stroke behind and you can bet him for +1800. Or fan favorite Jason Day, who won the Players in 2016 and the PGA the following year. He’s only two back and you can get him for +2800.
Want even longer odds? How about Sepp Straka, the Austrian, who has been playing well this year. He’s just three back with an +8000 odds to win. Or CT Pan, the Chinese Taipei golfer. He’s only got one win and one top-10 finish this year, but can you argue with +25000 odds?
