The PGA Tour may have softened the hype of calling this week’s event the “fifth major,” but nearly every player agrees that winning at TPC Sawgrass is just behind the majors in prestige. History shows the cream rises to the top at Ponte Vedra Beach, and this year’s field proves it—47 of the top 50 players in the world are teeing off.

Two-time champion Rory McIlroy will be a game-day decision on whether he defends his title, while fellow two-time winner Scottie Scheffler eyes joining Jack Nicklaus as the only three-time champions of the tournament.

Our golf experts have previewed The Players Championship, sharing prop picks and best bets for the week.

Event Details

Location: Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., March 12-15

Course: TPC Sawgrass (Par 72, 7,352 Yards)

Purse: $25M (Winner: $4.5M)

Defending Champion: Rory McIlroy

FedExCup Leader: Collin Morikawa

How to Follow:

TV: Thursday-Friday: 1–7 p.m. ET (Golf Channel); Saturday: 2–7 p.m. (NBC); Sunday: 1–6 p.m. (NBC)

Streaming (ESPN+): Thursday-Friday: 7:30 a.m.–7 p.m. ET; Saturday: 8 a.m.–7 p.m.; Sunday: 7:30 a.m.–6 p.m.

X: @ThePlayers

Prop Picks

Robert MacIntyre to Beat Brooks Koepka (-190 at DraftKings): Koepka’s best finish in six appearances is a T-11 in 2018, while MacIntyre, ranked eighth in the world, finished solo ninth here last year.

Tournament Ends in Playoff (+350 at BetMGM): Five of the past six Players were decided by one shot or less, making the final stretch at TPC Sawgrass highly dramatic.

Over 37.5 Balls in Water on 17th Hole (-265 at DraftKings): Since 2003, 1,068 balls have found the water at the 17th, with a peak of 93 in 2007. The past two years each saw 39 balls.

Best Bets

Scottie Scheffler (+450 at BetMGM): Winner in 2023-24, Scheffler is chasing a historic three-time win. Despite inconsistent opening rounds recently, he holds the tour’s longest streak with 69 consecutive made cuts.

Rory McIlroy (+1600): A two-time winner, McIlroy arrived Wednesday after withdrawing from the Arnold Palmer due to back spasms. He will decide Thursday whether to tee off.

Collin Morikawa (+1600): FedExCup leader, Morikawa comes off a T-7 at Genesis and solo fifth at the Arnold Palmer, plus a Pebble Beach win. He is heavily backed in both total bets and money wagered.

Ludvig Aberg (+2000): Finished T3 at Bay Hill and solo eighth here in 2024. Aberg is the second biggest betting liability of the week.

Chris Gotterup (+4500): The only two-time winner this season, Gotterup is attracting attention as a third biggest liability.

Sepp Straka (+4500): Ranked ninth in the world, Straka is a longshot with strong recent finishes, including T-2 at Pebble Beach.

Notes

All six of the past Players winners were in the top 10 of the Official World Golf Ranking entering the week.

First of five events this season offering 750 FedExCup points to the winner; the winner also earns a five-year PGA Tour exemption.

Seven of the first nine events this season were won by players in their 20s.

Joel Dahmen, Taylor Moore, Seamus Power, and Andrew Putnam qualified through their FedExCup ranking.

Only three players have converted a 54-hole lead/co-lead into a win at The Players since 2016: Jason Day (2016), Webb Simpson (2018), and Scottie Scheffler (2023).

Brooks Koepka returns via the PGA Tour’s Returning Member Program; Patton Kizzire and Seamus Power complete the 123-player field, the smallest in tournament history.

Justin Thomas, 2021 champion, makes his second start since back surgery in November.

Fourteen players are making their tournament debut, including seven rookies.

Greg Norman holds the tournament scoring record: 264 (1994). -Field Level Media/Reuters