Scottie Scheffler became the first golfer ever to repeat as winner of The Players Championship on Sunday with his final-round 64.
Making history doesn’t mean making money, though, for sportsbook operators when a guy with odds as low as +3300 in live wagering rallies from a five-shot deficit to win the premier event at TPC Sawgrass.
In fact, bet365 called it the worst result of the year.
“Scheffler looked the obvious pick coming into the tournament having won the Arnold Palmer a week earlier as well as winning the Players the year before – the only slight negative was that nobody had managed to go back-to-back at Sawgrass,” bet365’s Steve Freeth said. “He really is a pain in the neck for bookmakers!”
Expect the expected
It was a predictable ending in an unpredictable way.
Scheffler was the pre-tournament odds-on favorite at +550 to win The Players again. After all, he was coming off a victory at the Arnold Palmer Invitational the week before after switching putters and fixing his greatest weakness.
Who wouldn’t want to bet Scheffler? DraftKings told Covers that 18% of the total bets and handle at the online sportsbook were on Scheffler.
However, battling a neck injury and needing work done to it on the course, Scheffler wasn’t the 36-hole or 54-hole leader. Golf is made for live wagering and bettors took advantage.
The world’s No. 1 ranked golfer made a run past Xander Schauffele and Brian Harman and survived Wyndham Clark, who watched a tying birdie putt lip out on the final hole to seal the win for Scheffler and the agony for sportsbooks.
Green Jacket watch
Not that he needed any boost, but Scheffler left Sawgrass as the clear favorite to win the Masters, which runs April 11-14. Scheffler moved from +600 to +450 at bet365 following The Players win.
The online sportsbook also lowered Scheffler’s odds to claim the Grand Slam in 2024 from +20000 to +6600.
The legendary Bobby Jones is the only golfer to have ever won all four Majors in a single year. Five golfers have claimed the career Grand Slam.
Scheffler has one Major, the 2022 Masters. He’ll likely be one of the most bet golfers there this year, and pretty much any other tournament he plays in for the time being.
Rory McIlroy is listed second behind Scheffler by bet365 at +1000 while 2023 Masters winner Jon Rahm is third at +1100.
