Jon Rahm, Justin Thomas Top Board and TPC Sawgrass

Probability of the 2022 PLAYERS championship

Odds via DraftKings.

The best golfers in the world are on their way to TPC Sawgrass for the fifth biggest golf and the biggest bag of the PGA TOUR season to date.

A whopping 48 of the world’s top 50 players (from the official world golf rankings entering the Arnold Palmer Invitational) are gearing up for THE PLAYERS Championship this week. Not surprisingly, Jon Rahm is at the top of the starting lineup with defending champion Justin Thomas just behind him.

Scottie Scheffler, who has won twice in his last three PGA TOUR outings, was available 28-1 on Sunday night just before the conclusion of his Arnold Palmer Invitational victory. The 25-year-old, no matter where he ends up at the end of the night, will no doubt get a lot of attention from bettors this week.

Past winners

The winner of THE PLAYERS is usually in the middle of adolescence under par. Thomas won last year at 14 years old. Prior to that, it was 16-year-old McIlroy in 2019 and 18-year-old Webb Simpson the year before. Simpson’s total was the lowest number since Fred Couples made the same score in 1996.

Usually one of the best golfers ends up winning at TPC Sawgrass. Looking back at previous winners, some of the most recognizable names in golf are on the list, from Tiger Woods to Phil Mickelson.

Over the past 10 years, the winners include Matt Kuchar, Woods, Martin Kaymer, Rickie Fowler, Jason Day and Si Woo Kim, as well as the aforementioned Simpsons, McIlroy and Thomas. Kim had the highest score with 10 less, and everyone else got at least 12 less.

The course

The approach game has historically been the most important piece of play in THE PLAYERS. There are water obstacles and trees in most of all the holes, which means accuracy is very important. Sawgrass is rightly known as a “second shot” golf course.

Sawgrass is not a very long route, but because of the dangers making sure the ball is on the right side of the street is crucial. Preparing for success off the tee will go a long way in ensuring that players can thrive with the approach, especially on Sawgrass.

Each pair 5 is also relatively reasonable. Three of the four Sawgrass are less than 540 yards away, which means it will be very important to take advantage of them.

First, click Choose

Shane McNichol: Hideki Matsuyama (+2800)

THE PLAYERS aspires to be the biggest golf event out of the majors, backed by the highest paid regular season PGA TOUR and a $ 3.6 million check to the winning golfer.

My first selection to win this award is a player who has played well in recent months and historically in this venue.

Hideki Mastuyama ticks the two boxes. He hasn’t missed a cut since August 2021 and has two more wins and two more top 10s in the FedEx 2021-22 Cup season. Best of all, its placement, which can be erratic at best, has been strong. Matsuyama has won on the green in three of his last four starts and is ranked 33rd in the TOUR in the ten-foot mark. The way his irons are scraped is remarkable.

Matsuyama has also played well at TPC Sawgrass. In seven official starts, he has five finals in the top 25. This also discounts his work at PLAYERS 2020, when he won almost nine times on the field with a dazzling 63, before the event closed with the pandemic.

After eliminating this chance to win, Hideki deserves a look this week.