The Players Championship 2024 betting preview

One of the most prestigious events in the golfing calendar takes center stage as we hit the third stop of the Florida swing for the 2024 Players Championship. It's a return to familiar territory in a season of change that encompasses the new Signature Events along with the Aon Next 10 and the Aon Swing 5. Read on as Bryan Nicholson examines the data and 7x7Bets' Players Championship markets.

Ponte Vedra Beach is the venue, and the Players Championship has been played there for most of its editions since 1974. Now, in 2024, we are hitting the 50th anniversary of this illustrious event. TPC Sawgrass is one of the most iconic courses on tour and we get to see it being played under spring conditions. 

The Players Championship purse is $25 million with $4.5 million going to the winner along with 750 FedEx Cup points. There will be 144 players in the field including the top 10 in the FedEx Cup (Aon Next 10), the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking and current season winners. The field also includes major winners over the last handful of years, recent WGC winners and the top 125 in the FedEx Cup from 2023.

The Players Championship victor will grow in stature and status, basking in the honors and exemptions that come with lifting the "fifth major". Players can look forward to receiving a five-year PGA Tour exemption with the win, including a three-year exemption into The Masters, the PGA Championship, the Open Championship and the US Open.

LAST YEAR AT THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP

Scottie Scheffler (+603*) turned up with a masterful performance on the Sunday of the 2023 Players Championship to add a huge win to his resume. The American hit five straight birdies in the middle of his round to build a six-shot lead. Playing partner Min Woo Lee (+6314*) fell away and Scheffler won by five shots.

In the words of former Players Championship winner Justin Thomas (+2325*): “Any time you’re here at The Players, it’s a big deal. It’s obviously a huge event. To me The Players is the Players”.

Another highlight of last year’s Players Championship was Tom Hoge (+7377*) setting a new TPC Sawgrass course record (-10) and going bogey-free in the process for his 62. Greg Norman holds the overall tournament scoring record at the Players Championship.

PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP BETTING MARKET

The top two from the Arnold Palmer Invitational betting market lead the betting again for the Players Championship. We can expect a similar test to the one Bay Hill provided last week; these types of events where a few errant shots can run up big numbers allow us to take on some of the short-priced favorites. Scottie Scheffler won at Bay Hill, but Rory McIlroy (+1732*) and Victor Hovland (+2905*) were nowhere to be seen.

The Players Championship betting market has Scottie Scheffler as a favorite with McIlroy tucked in behind. Xander Schauffele and Justin Thomas are next in the betting at around +2300. Like at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, both McIlroy and Scheffler are former Players Championship winners. Scottie will defend at the Players Championship after his winning total of -17 in 2023.

THE COURSE - THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP AT TPC SAWGRASS

The Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass (the PGA Tour's headquarters) hosts the Players Championship and it will test the best of the best. TPC Sawgrass is an old-school classic parkland track familiar to most of the field. Despite the move to the March spot in the calendar, scoring remains similar with the Stadium Course playing only slightly easier. 

A fast, firm, and windy Sawgrass is what brings out its teeth and any type of player can win on a course like this. Sub-air systems play their part and will get the ball rolling on the Bermuda greens in the softer conditions. So far, the four March editions of the Players Championship have averaged a winning total in the mid-teens.

The TPC Sawgrass Stadium course itself plays to a par 72 at around 7,200 yards in length, and the driver is not necessarily required on several holes. Finding the fairways is the most important thing on doglegged fairways. The wind can get up in Florida and on a Pete Dye risk-reward design this can lead to big numbers on some holes like the iconic par 3 island green on number 17. The rough here is over-seeded Bermuda grass while the par fives and the short par four 12th are key holes. 

“I feel great being back here. I always look forward to The Players Championship. We all approach it as if it’s a Major Championship. It’s such an incredible golf course, one of the best in the world,” Jordan Spieth (+3461*) said.

2024 PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP COURSE FIT AND KEY METRIC PROFILING

When looking at who might make an impact in hunting down the prestigious 2024 Players Championship trophy, we can take course fit into account to give us a significant edge. True course fit is a variable that isn’t fully factored into the golf betting markets yet and course fit can be worth as much as two shots per round for a player with the right profile.

The ideal game type we are looking for at Sawgrass is an all-rounder with top ball-striking skills and a good short game. An accurate driver of the ball that can shape it both ways will likely come to the fore. Looking at past Players Championship leaderboards tells us that a diverse group of nationalities and playing styles can feature. 

TPC Sawgrass is a shot-makers paradise, and the Players Championship is renowned as the best field in golf. It is set up so any type of golfer can win but those ranking highly in the below key metric stats will have a distinct advantage.

2024 PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP KEY METRICS

1. Driving accuracy

2. Course management

3. Scrambling

4. Wind play

5. Short iron approaches

6. Par 5 performance

TPC Sawgrass is one of the biggest all-around tests in golf and players that are astute in all key departments should thrive. One of those may be former Players Championship winner Adam Scott (+10186*) who said: “I’ve always loved this golf course. I think it’s an amazing tournament venue. I can think what that feels like to beat such a strong field on a very demanding golf course.”

THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP 2024 PICKS

We know that any player type can win the Players Championship so let’s look at one from three different tiers of the betting market. We could bet on them outright or in some of the place markets such as top 10 betting.

Hideki Matsuyama (+3625*) now resides in Orlando, Florida and after back issues, injury trouble and swing changes, the Japanese star is back in full flow.

We saw the Hideki of old demolish the field at the Genesis Open with a final round of -9 and he has kept his form going with a strong performance at Bay Hill where he was strongly in contention after 54 holes.

Matsuyama has won on several of the big courses on the rotation and owns three top-10 finishes at TPC Sawgrass. Hideki ranked 19th in strokes gained tee to green this year before the Arnold Palmer Invitational and interestingly sat second in strokes gained around the green. The 32-year-old’s real strength is in his approach game where he ranked 13th on tour in 2023.

Let’s go for Shane Lowry (+4139*) again at TPC Sawgrass where his course fit is not portrayed by his finishing positions data. The Irishman owns three top-20 finishes on the Stadium Course and Lowry’s best-recorded finish was an eighth place in 2021. In 2023, Lowry opened with a 77 and still managed a T-35 finish, shooting three rounds of 70 or better over the weekend. He made an ace in 2022 on the famous island green par 3, 17th hole.

The Irishman resides in Florida and comes to Ponte Vedra Beach in fine form off the back of a fourth place at the Cognizant Classic and he kept it going at Bay Hill where he was tied for the lead going into Sunday and finished solo third. Lowry was ninth in driving accuracy and 10th in strokes gained approach ahead of Bay Hill. He ranked 14th in total driving in 2023 and has all the shot-making skills required for TPC Sawgrass.

Brian Harman (+5934*) has a bit of a love affair going on with Pete Dye courses and he owns three top-10 finishes at TPC Sawgrass. The best of those was third place in 2021 where the feisty American finished just two back of Justin Thomas. The current Open champion says he loves the tougher courses and since he held aloft the Claret Jug, he feels more confident in the big events.

Harman was in contention over the first 36 holes at Bay Hill but succumbed to a third-round 77. He put in a decent final round to finish T-12. The 37-year-old rates 10 out of 10 in my course fit model for both driving accuracy and in the short game department. He ranked first in scrambling in 2023 on the PGA Tour and finished the year 16th in driving accuracy.

Now you know the 2024 Golf player championship betting preview. Sign Up Now or click HERE to play at 7x7Bets, the most reliable and trustworthy online casino in India. Don't forget to claim your withdrawable real money welcome deposit bonus, weekly cashback bonus and referral bonus!