Players Championship Betting Guide: 5 Picks Our Expert Loves This Week

The Arnold Palmer Invitational was a wild event from start to finish. We had a pre-tournament withdrawal in Jake Knapp and two post-cut withdrawals in Rory McIlroy and Austin Smotherman.

It was one of those weeks where none of my bets had a real chance entering Sunday, so I was watching Daniel Berger's lead collapse from the sidelines. To be fair, it was less of a collapse from Berger and more of an outright theft by Akshay Bhatia. He went out and stole the tournament by shooting a 31 on the back nine on Sunday. Berger did make a big putt on the final hole to force a playoff, but he couldn't find the fairway on the first playoff hole.

Bhatia now has 3 PGA TOUR wins at only 24 years old. He turned pro at such a young age that it feels like he's a lot older than he is. The future is bright for the young star, especially if he can continue to putt half as well as he did last week.

We now turn our attention to one of the best events of the year… THE PLAYERS Championship.

Where is The Players Championship?

The Players Championship Course Preview: TPC Sawgrass

TPC Sawgrass is one of the most iconic golf courses in the world. Everyone knows the island green on the Par 3 17th hole, but there are so many great holes on the golf course. It's a Par 72 that measures 7,352 yards. It was designed by Pete Dye, which means it's more of a second-shot golf course. The common attributes of his designs are that they can't be overpowered off the tee, and that they are visually intimidating. You often have to hit your shots toward the trouble.

The fairways here are quite narrow (30 yards wide on average) and are important to hit. The greens in regulation rate from the fairway is nearly 30% higher than it is from the rough. We've seen golfers get more aggressive off the tee in recent editions, but that doesn't mean that you can afford to spray the ball here. Total Driving and Good Drive Percentage are my favorite off-the-tee metrics to use this week.

The greens here are small (5,500 square feet) and feature bermudagrass. They measure 13 on the stimpmeter, which means they are going to be extremely fast. The small greens emphasize approach play and scrambling. With water hazards in play on 16 of the 18 holes, good ball striking and tee-to-green play can get you into contention here. To win, you'll have to make pressure putts on Sunday.

My final note is that course history has not been super predictive here, so don't worry if you are betting on a golfer who hasn't played great at TPC Sawgrass in the past.

Players Championship Picks

Fading Scottie Scheffler in the outright market is usually scary, especially since he's won this event in 2 of the last 3 years. However, something is going on with his approach to play. He's 65th in this field in Strokes Gained: Approach so far in 2026. You have to be extremely precise with your irons to win at TPC Sawgrass.

Si Woo Kim +3000 (bet365)

Not many golfers have won two PLAYERS Championships in their career, but I could see Kim accomplishing that feat this week. He is playing some of the best golf of his career. To start the 2026 season, he has 5 top 15 finishes and 2 top 3 finishes. He's one of the best total drivers of the ball in the world, and he's 1st in this field in Strokes Gained: Approach in 2026. He's also excellent around the green. The putter is always a wildcard, but that's why one of the best tee-to-green golfers in the field is sitting at +3000.

Russell Henley +3300 (bet365)

I'm surprised Henley is priced at these odds this week. Few courses on TOUR fit his game better than TPC Sawgrass. Honestly, his game sets up a lot like the way Webb Simpson's did when he ran away from the field here in 2018. He's a great total driver of the ball, he's an elite iron player, he's excellent around the greens, and he's one of the best bermudagrass putters in the field. He comes into the week fresh off a T6 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

Jake Knapp +5500 (bet365)

Knapp had to withdraw from last week's event due to illness. If he had played and finished in the top 10 again (he's finished T11 or better in 5 straight events), he would likely be priced in the +3000 to +4000 range. I'm not going to hold an illness against him, especially since he's already said he's good to go this week. Knapp is long and straight off the tee, and he's having a career year on approach, around the green, and on the greens. I'm not factoring in course history much this week, but it certainly doesn't hurt that he finished T12 here last year.

Sepp Straka +6000 (bet365)

Straka at +6000 on a course that rewards good iron play feels too good to be true. He's top 10 in this field in Strokes Gained: Approach in any timeframe that you want to look at (2026, last 9 months, last 18 months, etc.). The rest of his game can be hit-or-miss, but he tends to have a lot of ceiling weeks and a lot of floor weeks. That volatility is great for outright betting because we know he has the ability to win golf tournaments. He's contended in majors before, so he shouldn't be too overwhelmed if he's in the mix on Sunday.

Ben Griffin +8000 (Caesars)

I'll continue to back Griffin at these astronomical odds. It wasn't too long ago that he was being priced like a top 10 golfer in the world. I know his form has slipped in 2026, but let's not forget that he won 3 times on TOUR in 2025. He's added length off the tee, and the rest of his game has been elite for a couple of years now. If everything clicks this week, it shouldn't surprise anyone to see him back in the mix.

When is The Players Championship?

The 2026 Players Championship tees off on Thursday, March 12, 2026.

• What: 2026 Players Championship
• When: March 12-15, 2026
• Where: TPC Sawgrass, Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.
• Par: 72
• Length: 7,352
• Purse: $25 million

Where to Watch The Players Championship?

2026 Players Championship TV Schedule

Round 1: Thursday, March 12

• Live stream: ESPN+ (7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.)
• TV coverage: Golf Channel (1 to 7 p.m. ET)

Round 2: Friday, March 13

• Live stream: ESPN+ (7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.)
• TV coverage: Golf Channel (1 to 7 p.m. ET)

Round 3: Saturday, March 14

• Live stream: ESPN+ (8 a.m. to 7 p.m.)
• TV coverage: NBC (2 to 7 p.m. ET)

Round 4: Sunday, March 15

• Live stream: ESPN+ (7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.)
• TV coverage: NBC (1 to 6 p.m. ET)

Who is Favored to Win the 2026 Players Championship?

Scottie Scheffler, the world's No. 1-ranked player, is once again a strong favorite this week as he's listed as a +435 favorite to win The Players Championship at DraftKings.

Next up on the odds board is Rory McIlroy, who is +1350 to win The Players Championship. McIlroy, the defending champion, withdrew from last weekend's Arnold Palmer Invitational.

Following McIlroy on the odds board is Collin Morikawa at +2050, and then Si Woo Kim at +2400 and Tommy Fleetwood at +2500.

The Players Championship 2026: Odds, Favorites

Odds via DraftKings as of Monday