The PGA Tour contests its flagship event this week at The Players Championship in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.
The event begins Thursday on the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass, with a $25 million purse and $4.5 million for the winner.
Looking for a little something yourself? NBCSports.com betting expert Brad Thomas has a few wagers to consider:
Ludvig Åberg, win: +1800
When building the ideal player for The Players, Åberg fits the model perfectly. In limited action, he has gained more strokes per round at TPC Sawgrass than anyone else in the field.
Åberg hits the ball a mile off the tee while still finding the fairways over 60% of the time. His win at the Genesis Invitational, which was played at Torrey Pines (South) this year, should boost his confidence here. Torrey is another course that demands excellent ball striking.
Åberg also mentioned playing TPC Sawgrass since moving to the area. He opened in the futures market in the 20s so I wouldn’t play him past +1800.
Michael Kim, top 40: +110; top 20: +300
If I told you there’s a player who finished T-2, T-13, T-13, T-6 and fourth in their last five starts, you’d probably guess it was Scottie Scheffler. You would be incorrect. It’s none other than OWGR No. 52 and 2018 John Deere Classic winner Kim.
His resurgence has been spectacular. At TPC Sawgrass, strong ball strikers who are gainers from tee-to-green have a lot of success. Kim’s tee-to-green numbers in his recent run have been phenomenal. In those five events, he’s gained +11.3, +3.2, +6.3, +7.4, and +8.5 strokes. What’s equally impressive is that he’s also gained strokes putting in all those events.
The Players Championship odds (as of Wednesday morning, courtesy DraftKings):
- Scottie Scheffler: +400
- Rory McIlroy: +1000
- Collin Morikawa: +1400
- Ludvig Åberg: +1600
- Justin Thomas: +2200
- Xander Schauffele: +2200
- Tommy Fleetwood: +2800
- Hideki Matsuyama: +3000
- Russell Henley: +4000
- Sepp Straka: +4000
- Patrick Cantlay: +4000
- Shane Lowry: +4000
- Keegan Bradley: +5000
- Sungjae Im: +5000
