Scottie Scheffler finding his putter is a scary sight at a scary time with the PGA Tour heading to TPC Sawgrass for one of the most prestigious events of the year — The PLAYERS Championship — and Masters odds just a few short weeks away from being at the forefront of the sport.
The World No. 1 dominated a tough Bay Hill track and cruised to win the Arnold Palmer Invitational for the second time in three years. Oh, he's also this week's defending champion. Put it all together and you get a +500 favorite over one of the toughest fields of the year.
We break down the golf odds board, give our best free golf picks, and more in our full betting preview for THE PLAYERS Championship below.
Best 2024 PLAYERS Championship picks
- Will Zalatoris Top 20 (+137 at bet365)
- Max Homa Top 20 (+125 at bet365)
Live odds to win the 2024 PLAYERS Championship
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THE PLAYERS Championship picks and predictions
Will Zalatoris Top 20 (+137)
It’s been a long road back from injury for Will Zalatoris considering he made just eight starts last year.
He ranks second in this field from tee to green over the last month, second only to Scottie Scheffler, and also ranks second on approach over that span. That’s the elite ball-striker we know him to be.
But maybe more importantly, he’s rolling it nicely at the moment — the part of his game that’s held him back in the past, as it has Scheffler — and has gained strokes putting in four straight events.
His TPC Sawgrass resume isn’t anything special with his best result being a 21st-place finish in 2021 but I’ve seen what I needed to see. Will Zalatoris is back.
Pick: Will Zalatoris Top 20 (+137 at bet365)
Max Homa Top 20 (+125)
A win on the DP World Tour back in November may be masking the fact Max Homa hasn’t won on the PGA Tour since last January, but that’s just a matter of the goalpost being moved after winning four times in 15 months before that.
He’s playing maybe the most consistent golf of his career at the moment: he logged 11 straight finishes of T21 or better between July and January before a T66-MC stretch last month. He then bounced back with a T16 at Riviera and a T8 at Bay Hill.
He’s gained strokes on approach in 17 of his last 18 starts and ranked third in the field in putting at last week’s Arnold Palmer. All facets of his game are there.
He’s finished T13 and T6 in his last two tries here at TPC Sawgrass and ranked 12th and 8th from tee to green in those starts. Given the form he’s entering with, I expect more of the same this week.
Pick: Max Homa Top 20 (+125 at bet365)
THE PLAYERS Championship field and favorites
As consistently great as Scottie Scheffler has been over the last 2+ years, his putter has held him back from winning way more often than he does. That wasn't the case at Bay Hill last week.
The World No. 1 won the API — for the second time — by five shots and ranked fifth in the field in strokes gained putting. It was his best true strokes gained putting performance since the 2022 Phoenix Open and it's why he's a runaway favorite this week at 5/1.
He now returns to the TPC Sawgrass Stadium Course, where he similarly won by five shots a year ago.
Running second on the board is World No. 2 Rory McIlroy between 12/1 and 14/1. The 2019 PLAYERS champ worked his way into outside contention last week before going backward with a final-round 76. Results of T24, T21, and T21 over his last three starts are certainly nothing to write home about.
2021 winner Justin Thomas is third on the board at 18/1 after another strong result at Bay Hill. His 2021 victory here is followed up by T33 and T60 results over the last two years but his current form is much more encouraging.
Also in great form is Xander Schauffele, who's logged finishes of T10 or better in six of his last nine starts dating back to the FedEx Cup Playoffs. He's fourth on the board at 20/1 with his best PLAYERS result being a T2 in 2018.
Headlining the next set of contenders is Viktor Hovland (T36 last week) and Patrick Cantlay (also T36) at 22/1, Will Zalatoris (T4) at 25/1, and Max Homa (T8) in the +2,200 to +2,800 range.
It's worth noting four of the last six winners have closed with odds of 18/1 or shorter. Only Scottie, Rory, and JT — all former champions — fit that bill this week.
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THE PLAYERS Championship recent winners and odds history
Here are the recent PLAYERS Championship winners and their closing odds to win:
| Year | Winner | Closing Odds |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Scottie Scheffler | +1,000 |
| 2022 | Cameron Smith | +3,000 |
| 2021 | Justin Thomas | +1,800 |
| 2020 | No event: COVID-19 related. | |
| 2019 | Rory McIlroy | +1,200 |
| 2018 | Webb Simpson | +6,000 |
| 2017 | Si Woo Kim | OTB |
| 2016 | Jason Day | +1,000 |
| 2015 | Rickie Fowler | +5,000 |
Odds courtesy of GolfOdds.
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The PLAYERS Championship Odds FAQs
Scottie Scheffler is a +550 betting favorite to win THE PLAYERS Championship in 2024, with Rory McIlroy second in line at +1,200.
Scottie Scheffler won the 2023 PLAYERS Championship with 10/1 odds and is on the board at +550 to defend his title at TPC Sawgrass this week.
THE PLAYERS Championship is held annually at THE PLAYERS Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass.
The 2024 PLAYERS Championship has a purse of $25 million, with $4.5 million going to the winner. It's the best purse of the PGA Tour season, including majors.
