One of the strongest fields of the year is assembled for THE PLAYERS at TPC Sawgrass, which begins on Thursday with world No. 1 Dustin Johnson listed as the favorite at odds of +725. A total of 24 of the top 25 players in the current world rankings are in the field, and 55 of the top 60. If you like value, then this is the week for you, as a number of players ranked in the top 10 in the world are listed at double-digit odds including world No. 10 Justin Thomas at +3868.
THE PLAYERS Odds
Dustin Johnson +725
Rory McIlroy +1017
Jordan Spieth +1618
Jason Day +1702
Rickie Fowler +1738
Jon Rahm +1819
Sergio Garcia +1819
Hideki Matsuyama +2558
Justin Rose +3062
Henrik Stenson +3565
Adam Scott +3565
Justin Thomas +3868
Brooks Koepka +4050
Paul Casey +4050
Matt Kuchar +6050
Kevin Kisner +6050
Martin Kaymer +6050
Francesco Molinari +6050
Kevin Chappell +6050
Phil Mickelson +6550
Patrick Reed +7050
Russell Henley +7250
Adam Hadwin +7250
Louis Oosthuizen +8050
Daniel Berger +8250
Branden Grace +8550
Bill Haas +8550
Tony Finau +8550
Tyrrell Hatton +9250
Jason Dufner +10250
Cameron Smith +10250
Pat Perez +10250
Ryan Moore +10250
Bernd Wiesberger +10250
Jimmy Walker +10250
William Mcgirt +10250
Brian Harman +10250
Bubba Watson +11250
Lee Westwood +11250
Marc Leishman +11250
Charl Schwartzel +12550
Kevin Na +12550
Tommy Fleetwood +12550
Ryan Palmer +12550
Zach Johnson +12550
Russell Knox +12550
Patrick Cantlay +13250
Matthew Fitzpatrick +15250
Charley Hoffman +15250
Field (Any Other Player Not Listed Above) +325
Odds Analysis
Dustin Johnson +725
Johnson is in great form and he nearly won last week after just barely making the cut. It took him two rounds to get the rust off and then he was great, but he couldn’t quite make up enough ground, finishing one shot behind Harman. Johnson has been superb all season but I am looking elsewhere this week simply because D.J. has traditionally struggled at THE PLAYERS, never finishing in the Top 25 in seven tries.
Rory McIlroy +1017
How will marriage treat Rory? That is the question you have to ask if you like McIlroy this week. He just got married, so it is hard to see how he has had much prep time for this event. He does have seven straight top 10 finishes going back to September and he has three top 10 finishes in the last four PLAYERS. I am still looking elsewhere simply because I don’t know how focused Rory will be this week.
Jordan Spieth +1618
Jordan tied for fourth in this event in 2014 but he has not played well at THE PLAYERS since with two missed cuts. I am looking elsewhere.
Jason Day +1702
Day won this event last year and was great but he hasn’t looked right in 2017 and it is hard to take him based on his current form.
Rickie Fowler +1738
It was tough on Rickie last year in this event as he had a lot of distractions as the defending champ. He should be much better this year and he has played well this year and he ranks first on the PGA Tour in adjusted scoring. Rickie should contend for the win this week.
Jon Rahm +1819
It is only a matter of time before Rahm starts winning on a regular basis but it is hard to see it happening here, as Rahm is not yet a patient player and THE PLAYERS will test your patience.
Justin Thomas +3868
One of my two longshots this week is Thomas who has played well in his two previous PLAYERS with a tie for 24th and a tie for 3rd. He leads the PGA Tour in birdie or better percentage.
Kevin Kisner +6050
I said last week that I could see the letdown coming for Kisner and that is exactly what happened at Eagle Point. I think he will bounce back this week and he has played well in this event, losing in a playoff two years ago.
Course: TPC Sawgrass is a par 72 that measures 7,189 yards. It is course that generates a lot of attention because of the island green on the 17th hole. This year’s course will challenge players even more, as the small water hazards between holes 6 and 7 is now a lake and No. 12 is now a drivable par 4 that has the fairway and the green sloping toward a new water hazard.
TV Coverage: NBC and Golf Channel
Notes: It was all Jason Day in this event last year, as he blitzed the field, opening with a 63 and winning wire-to-wire. His score of 15-under par was the lowest since the tournament moved to its May starting date. Day was just the second player in the last ten winners of THE PLAYERS to win when holding the lead after the third round. World No. 1 Dustin Johnson has never played well at THE PLAYERS, as he has not finished in the top 30 in any of his previous seven tries.
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