Preview & Picks: The Players Championship

The Players Championship is not a major, and that’s good, great even.

It’s stands on it’s own as a unique test of golf, with one of the strongest fields, and the biggest purse on TOUR. Throw in an iconic venue and great tournament history, and you have everything you need for an awesome tournament.

Unlike the Bay Hill and Augusta, Sawgrass is not very predictive.

There’s not one style of play, or type of player, that fits Sawgrass best – which speaks to the brilliance of it’s course design.

Scottie Scheffler had a great answer when asked about The Players yesterday at his presser.

Worth a minute of your time to hear how the World No. 1 views The Players.

To put it simply, to win The Players, you must bring your complete game to Ponte Vedra.

Field Notes

  • Elite iron play is the biggest separator. SG: Approach had the highest correlation with success (0.66), making it the clear stat to target. Nearly 37% of approaches come from 125–175 yards, so players who dominate with short-to-mid irons tend to rise up the board at Sawgrass.

  • Putting matters more here than most people think. SG: Putting shows a very strong correlation (0.59), higher than off-the-tee play. With firm greens and constant pressure around the course, players who convert opportunities tend to separate.

  • Driving accuracy matters more than distance. SG: Off the Tee is still important (0.50 correlation), but accuracy (0.36) is far more relevant than distance (0.10). Sawgrass rewards players who keep the ball in play and avoid penalty areas rather than pure bombers.

The Details

Previous Winners:

How To Watch:

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PGA TOUR LIVE is available exclusively on ESPN+ and consists of four streams.

We’ve partnered with Keith Stewart at Read The Line to share his weekly golf betting picks with the Caddyshanks crew. If you’re the type who enjoys breaking down matchups, spotting trends, and hunting for value, you’ll feel right at home in the RTL community. Join Here.

Keith Stewart’s Picks

Collin Morikawa (+2100 DraftKings)

Collin Morikawa is a mega chalk pick at THE PLAYERS. I’ve watched enough golf to know Morikawa will be in the mix on Sunday afternoon. Collin is playing with a ton of confidence, and that can’t be ignored. With many questions around the other top contenders, why not Morikawa? Driving accuracy, check; approach play, check; and major closing ability, check! Too often, we overthink the obvious when picking outrights. Collin has finished in the top 7 three consecutive times on TOUR and has two top 13 finishes in his last three trips to TPC Sawgrass. Trust what makes the most sense.

Chris Gotterup (+5000 FanDuel) 

I think we need to pay attention to Chris Gotterup in big events. The two-time winner on TOUR continues to perform even when the venue doesn’t appear to fit. Positive on approach in five straight starts, Gotterup’s heavy fade off the tee will keep him in the fairway. From there, he can attack and score. I’m not worried about Sunday at Bay Hill; that course was literally dead at the end of play. One start at THE PLAYERS, Chris is not a TPC Sawgrass rookie. An aggressive player who is competing with tons of confidence, Gotterup is about to elevate his career in a big way.

Caddyshanks Picks

Si Woo Kim (+3300 Fanduel)

We really just might pick Si Woo and Hideki every week until one of them wins. It’s coming!

Cam Young (+5000 Fanduel)

Earlier in the year, the two guys who seemed most likely to break out were Chris Gotterup and Cam Young. Keith took Gotterup, I am taking Cam.

Scottie Scheffler (+330 Fanduel)

The auto-bet Scottie every tournament strategy is off to a bumpy start, as Scottie’s play hasn’t been to the level we’re used to, but we aren’t going to allow any doubt to creep in. He’ll get it dialed in.