Sport
THE PLAYERS Championship preview: Cantlay can win biggest trophy of his career
There are four occasions each year when golf is at the forefront of most sport’s fans mind. The Majors, particularly the Masters and Open, are the golf tournaments which armchair golf fans become real golf fans and while the PLAYERS Championship might be known as the ‘fifth Major’, for the hardened golf fan the four days at TPC Sawgrass are the best four days of golf outside of the grand slams.
Time and time again this tournament delivers and for the lucky few that have won this prestigious trophy it’s one they will truly cherish as it’s arguably the hardest to win. That’s because Sawgrass doesn’t lend itself to one style of golf with power players as well as those who are more about fairways and greens all having success here.
Excited? Well before all the fun gets underway, here’s our take on how we think things will pan out.
Ignore course form and count on Cantlay
Given he’s ranked fourth in the world and has become one of the most consistent and rounded players, there are few courses which don’t seem to suit Patrick Cantlay, but, despite some iffy form around it, TPC Sawgrass surely is one that he should relish.
2022 form figures of 4-9-T4-2-T33 show how well Cantlay is playing and had it not been for some lacklustre putting on his first three starts and an inspired Scottie Scheffler in Phoenix, the American could easily be a multiple winner this year. Solid recent form seems key around here with former winners KJ Choi, Martin Kaymer, Si Woo Kim and even last year’s winner Justin Thomas all either being coming to the boil nicely or having turned the corner with strong showings in previous events.
Form figures at Sawgrass of 22-23-MC-MC might not catch the eye, but on his first two starts here he was close to the lead for the majority before falling away on Sunday, and the fact he led the field in Strokes Gained: Off The Tee on debut tells you how this layout really suits his eye. He also opened with a 67 in the cancelled 2021 renewal further pressing home his claims.
He openly admits he’s a fan of the course and that it reminds him of Harbour Town – a course he has three top 10s, including two solo thirds, in four appearances at. He also shot a 60 as an amateur at TPC River Highlands – another Pete Dye-designed course – while he has some solid form around another Dye design in TPC Louisiana.
If he can continue the form he’s shown so far this year he’s got to go close and he looks to hold very solid claims at 22/1.
Berger looks a tasty price
Like Cantlay, Daniel Berger probably should be a PGA Tour winner this season having given up a five-shot lead at the Honda Classic a couple of weeks ago. It’s a loss that will sting, but we’ve seen plenty crumble at PGA National before and for three rounds Berger was virtually note perfect. So, while that final round 74 will be a bitter pill to swallow, the 28-year-old should take great heart from three rounds in the 60s prior to that.
His fourth place finish at the Honda continued a very solid run of form for the American which has seen him finish inside the top 20 in four of his last five starts, three of which have yielded finishes of seventh of better, so bar that poor Sunday and a missed cut in Phoenix – his first start after an injury layoff – Berger has been in stellar form.
He heads to Sawgrass with a solid-enough record too. He’s made the cut in five of his six starts at the Florida course and has two ninth place finishes, including last year where he was always playing catch-up after an opening 74. He also sat in a tie for seventh after round one of the cancelled 2020 edition and his decent record around here shouldn’t come of too much of a surprise given he’s another who tends to go well at Pete Dye designs. Berger has two top fives at TPC River Highlands, while he also boasts a solo third at the 2020 RBC Heritage and solo sixth at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.
A good all-round game is required to tame Sawgrass and Berger ranks fifth in Strokes Gained: Tee To Green. He’s another who should go well at 30/1.
Berger might also be one for the first round leader markets given he ranks sixth in first round scoring on the PGA Tour this season and has started fast in several recent appearances too. He’s 40/1 in that particular market.
