Golf

The Players Championship 2026: 28/1 Fancy Has Huge Chance At TPC Sawgrass

11 hours ago

| BY Sam Cox

Outside of the four majors, the Players Championship is the most prestigious event on the golfing calendar.

Carrying a $25 million prize fund, it can also be incredibly lucrative for the golfers that manage to wrestle the challenges presented by TPC Sawgrass.

Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler, the two golf betting favourites for this event, are both looking for their third Players Championship titles. Jack Nicklaus (three) is the only golfer to have won the event more than twice.

Uncertainty at the Top

McIlroy might not be fit enough to compete due to a back issue that cropped up at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Scheffler, by his unmatchable high standards, has been subpar of late, with visible frustration showing last time out.

Notably, Scheffler is 88th in approach shots this year, having led the PGA Tour in that metric for three consecutive years. His play on Thursdays has been poor, too, and it will be hard to come from a long way back on a Sawgrass course that’s more challenging than ever.

It’s up in the air, as of March 11, whether McIlroy will be fit to compete. His standard of golf has been high since the turn of the year, but that back injury is a worry for bettors.

The world’s top two players present a far bigger risk than usual, with Scheffler showing rare signs of morality and McIlroy a long way from 100% physically.

More Challenging Conditions

With its slanted fairways, Sawgrass already asks plenty of questions of the world’s best golfers. For 2026, they have cranked up the difficulty, with firmer greens, less forgiving fringes around the water, and longer rough.

There’s some rain expected on Thursday and possibly Friday, but it shouldn’t change the conditions too much. Sawgrass’ margin for error becomes even slimmer than before.

Don’t be surprised to see some misjudged chip shots around the green if approach shots are off the mark.

Players Championship Predictions

There’s an opening for a streaky, risk-taking golfer this weekend. Making the course more difficult means a clean ball striker like Min Woo Lee can be very dangerous if everything falls into place.

You can bet on the 2026 Players Championship at William Hill today

The Australian is fifth in strokes gained this year and ranks in the top 10 off the tee and around the green.

Best bets:

Min Woo Lee to win (28/1)
Ludvig Åberg to finish in top 5 (5/1)
Jake Knapp to finish in top 10 (4/1)
Akshay Bhatia to finish in top 10 (4/1)
Collin Morikawa to finish in top 20 (4/5)

Tied third at Bay Hill and tied 20th at Riviera suggest Ludvig Åberg is getting into some form. The Swede hasn’t been putting well so far this year, but his high ball flight should stand him in good stead on these firmer greens.

Jake Knapp is third behind the world’s top two in shots gained. He’s finished 11th or better in five consecutive events, and has finished T5, 8, T8, and 6 over his last four.

Traditionally, it’s important to carry form into this event. That works in Knapp’s favour and the same goes for Akshay Bhatia and Collin Morikawa.

Bhatia has excelled this year in all facets other than hitting off the tee. He’s got a real shot to win here if he sorts that part of his game, plus he’s coming off a win in the Arnold Palmer Invitational and played at a high level in last year’s Players Championship.

After poor showings in Hawaii and Phoenix, Morikawa won in Pebble Beach, tied for seventh at Genesis, and placed fifth at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. His iron play has been a particular strength of late.