What: 2024 Players Championship
Where: TPC Sawgrass, Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida
When: Thursday, March 14 to Sunday, March 17
Tournament Preview
Odds to win with BetXchange:
- Scottie Scheffler – 11/2
- Rory McIlroy – 16/1
- Xander Schauffele – 25/1
- Justin Thomas – 25/1
- Viktor Howard – 25/1
The 50th edition of the Players Championship will take place this weekend at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. This PGA Tour event has a starting field of 144 players, led by current World No. 1 – and event favorite – Scottie Scheffler.
This is a big event for the PGA. Over the years, The Players Championship has become an unofficial ‘fifth major’ due to the stars it attracts and the overall strength of the field. It also helps that over the last decade, the tournament has typically been won by one of the game’s stars instead of a name out of nowhere.
That will be tested this week in Florida. The PGA excludes golfers who have joined the Saudi Arabian-backed LIV Golf, which has drastically reduced the depth of the field of 144 players as they compete for a share of the $25 million purse on offer.
The leading name missing is Spaniard Jon Rahm. The 2023 Masters champion would have been among the favorites to win the event had he been able to play. Cameron Smith is another major game missing. The 2022 winner of this event could not defend his title last year and is still missing in 2024, thanks to his LIV Golf involvement. He is one of half of the 2022 top ten missing due to joining the rival tour.
It is also worth noting that Tiger Woods will not be playing this weekend in Florida for undisclosed reasons. While Tiger is not the force he once was, his presence makes tournaments feel like a bigger deal. This is especially true if he is anywhere near the front of the field on Sundays, an event getting frustratingly rare for fans of the superstar.
Who Is In Form?
Scheffler is the defending champion and always plays well at TPC Sawgrass. He is the heavy favorite for a reason, given the course, his play, and the lack of household names like Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, and Bryson DeChambeau.
That is not to say that the field will be devoid of challengers. Chris Kirk has already won a PGA event this year, as he took the title at The Sentry in Maui. He is 130/1 to win here. Nick Taylor is an even longer shot at 180/1, an interesting number given he won the WM Phoenix Open at the beginning of February.
This course and event are notoriously tough on first-timers. Craig Perks of New Zealand (2002) is the only debutant to win the TPC Sawgrass since it moved to the venue in 1982. One in-form player to watch is 24-year-old Ludvig Aberg of Sweden. Aberg is 40/1 to win The Players Championship, great odds if you believe he can defy historical logic.
Watch the group of Jake Knapp (250/1), Nick Dunlap (OTB), and Matthieu Pavon (180/1). Upset winners have defined this year, and all three group members have won tournaments already in 2024. If you are looking for an upset winner, taking someone with recent experience down the stretch is never a bad option.
