Following a Scottie Scheffler golf clinic at Bay Hill, The Players Championship betting odds for the “fifth” major have been released at the best golf betting sites. The world number one is the main favorite, but multiple other golfers will be challenging.
The Players Championship 2024 comes equipped with a whopping purse of $25 million. With one of the largest purses on the PGA Tour, the event attracts the best players from around the world vying for the top prize of $4.5 million in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.
I know that many fans will be betting too, so I explore the latest The Players Championship 2024 odds and flush out the best bets for this weekend at TPC Sawgrass.
The Players Championship 2024 Winner Odds
The following betting odds for The Players Championship 2024 are courtesy of Bovada:
| PLAYER | ODDS |
|---|---|
| Scottie Scheffler | +600 |
| Rory McIlroy | +1200 |
| Xander Schauffele | +1800 |
| Justin Thomas | +2000 |
| Patrick Cantlay | +2000 |
| Viktor Hovland | +2200 |
| Max Homa | +2500 |
| Will Zalatoris | +2500 |
| Jordan Spieth | +2800 |
| Ludvig Aberg | +2800 |
Scottie Scheffler (+600) is the odds-on favorite to win The Players Championship 2024 and defend his title. At +600, the star is well ahead of the field, with the odds for winning The Players Championship pointing squarely in his direction.
Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy has the second-shortest odds to win The Players Championship and is expected to be in contention after fading last week at Bay Hill. It really gets messy after that, with a bunch of players hoping to upset the odds.
The Players Championship Favorites
Before delving into my top The Players Championship predictions and betting picks, let’s check out the favorites at online sportsbooks:
Scottie Scheffler (+600)
Following a strong campaign in 2023, Scheffler is quickly asserting himself as the player to beat in 2024. Following his impressive win by five strokes in the Arnold Palmer Invitational, the 27-year-old’s Masters odds jumped to the top off the board.
Additionally, Scheffler opened as the clear favorite to win The Players Championship 2024. The world number one pulled away from the rest of the field in the fourth round on Sunday. He shot six-under-par to finish -15 and five strokes ahead of Wyndham Clark.
Recent Form
There isn’t another golfer on the PGA Tour in better form than Scheffler. Currently, with 467.8 points, he ranks No. 1 in OWGR, well ahead of McIlroy’s 348 points1. His hot form didn’t just start recently, either.
Across the last three seasons, Scheffler has won seven events, including the 2022 Masters. In last year’s The Players Championship, Scheffler defeated Tyrrell Hatton by five strokes to take the biggest chunk out of the $25 million purse.
The top spot for Scheffler in The Players Championship was his fourth consecutive top-10 performance.
Scheffler 2024 Results:
- 7, 2024 – T5 at The Sentry
- 21, 2024 – T17 at The American Express
- 4, 2024 – T6 at AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am
- 11, 2024 – T3 at WM Phoenix Open
- 18, 2024 – T10 at The Genesis Invitational
- March 10, 2024 – 1st at Arnold Palmer Invitational
As the golfer in the best form on the PGA Tour, Scheffler deserves to be the favorite to win tournaments until further notice. Although Scheffler’s Players Championship odds do not offer the best value at +600, they are understandable given his confidence right now.
By The Numbers
With the wins and high finishes, Scheffler has compiled some impressive numbers. He ranks at the top or close to the top in several key golfer metrics. This has been typical for Scheffler over the last few years.
Ranks this week for Scottie Scheffler:
T1 in 3-Putt Avoidance (0)
1st in Putting Average (1.58)
1st in SG: Off-the-Tee (+1.262)
T1 in Bogey Avoidance (9.72%%)
T1 in Par 4 Scoring Average (3.90)
1st in Par 5 Scoring Average (4.20)
1st in SG: Around-the-Green (+0.947) pic.twitter.com/0hho67RU1c— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 11, 2024
Scheffler’s hot hand has carried over into 2024, where he continues to remain in great shape. After winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational, he took the lead in scoring average, Shots Gained: Total, and Shots Gained: Tee-to-Green2.
Scheffler 2024 Stats:
- Scoring Average: 1st (67.48)
- SG: Total: 1st (2.497)
- SG: Tee-to-Green: 1st (2.527)
- SG: Approach the Green: 2nd (1.198)
- Greens In Regulation: 1st (78.07%)
- SG: Off the Tee: 7th (0.821)
It doesn’t get any better than what Scheffler has accomplished thus far on the PGA Tour. Jon Rahm had a similar start last year, but he regressed toward the end of the 2023 season. Scheffler doesn’t show any indications of slowing down.
That being said, at +600, Scheffler’s odds to win The Players Championship 2024 aren’t the best value on the board. It’s golf we’re talking about, so even the top favorites are not guaranteed anything.
Rory McIlroy (+1200)
McIlroy is coming off an up-and-down tournament at Bay Hill. After putting himself into contention through the third round, McIlroy shot four-over-par on Sunday to finish T21 at one-under-par. He was well off the pace of Scheffler and the top contenders at Bay Hill.
McIlroy has looked great on the European Tour, with a win in the Hero Dubai Desert Classic and T2 in the Dubai Invitational. However, his results have been shaky in PGA Tour events in 2024.
Recent Form
McIlroy is still searching for his first top-20 finish in 2024. After falling to T21 at Bay Hill, he is still looking for answers this season. Nevertheless, McIlroy has the talent to flip a switch and suddenly catch fire.
Getting hot at TPC Sawgrass hasn’t been common for the golfer, however. He missed the cut twice and finished T33 in his previous three outings in The Players Championship. Based on this, it doesn’t appear likely that McIlroy is prepared to turn a corner at this venue.
McIlroy 2024 Results:
- 3, 2024 – T66 at AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am
- 18, 2024 – T24 at The Genesis Invitational
- March 3, 2024 – T21 at Cognizant Classic
- March 10, 2024 – T21 at Arnold Palmer Invitational
This isn’t exactly what McIlroy was anticipating with a month remaining before the Masters. The putting woes persist for the Northern Irishman, who has failed to win a major tournament in a decade due to his stroke on the green continually failing him at the wrong moments.
In any event, McIlroy finished 2023 with ten consecutive top-10 performances. Fans are patiently awaiting when he’ll regain that top form again.
By The Numbers
Despite McIlroy’s cold run to open the 2024 season, he is regarded as one of the most talented golfers on the PGA Tour. Having the second-best The Players Championship odds, at +1200, with his recent struggles indicates McIlroy’s skill level.
In 2023, his stats were amongst the best in golf. Aside from putting, McIlroy was near the top of most major metrics. Most notably, his driver continues to be the biggest tool in his arsenal with a Strokes Gained: Off the Tee rating of 1.2513.
The first player to drive the 10th green at Bay Hill in the ShotLink era (since 2003) 🤯
@McIlroyRory goes full send! pic.twitter.com/FWe89CatmC— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 9, 2024
Nevertheless, you wouldn’t know that McIlroy has the second-best odds to win The Players by examining his latest stats.
McIlroy 2024 Stats:
- Scoring Average: 135th (70.27)
- SG: Total: 67th (0.347)
- SG: Tee-to-Green: 39th (0.592)
- SG: Approach the Green: 152nd (-0.522)
- Greens In Regulation: 124th (67.41%)
- SG: Off the Tee: 1st (1.251)
McIlroy continues to be a menace off the tee with his driver. However, he’s faltering in almost every other aspect of his game lately.
I expect him to claw back and improve these numbers as the season progresses, but TPC Sawgrass hasn’t been a hot spot for him in recent years.
Xander Schauffele (+1800)
The sixth-ranked player in the OWGR checks into TPC Sawgrass with the third-best betting odds for The Players Championship 2024. Schauffele is on the heels of a mediocre performance in the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
The 30-year-old native of San Diego, California, finished T25 after shooting two-under-par in the fourth round. It was a step back for Schauffele following a T4 showing at Riviera in the Genesis Invitational on Feb. 18.
Recent Form
Since 2018-19, Schauffele has won five PGA Tour events. The American was the runner-up at the 2019 Masters, but he is still searching for his maiden victory in a major. His most notable wins include the 2022 Travelers Championship and 2022 Scottish Open.
It has been an inconsistent start to the year for Schauffele, but overall, I am impressed with his stroke in 2024. Schauffele’s body of work is looking up as we head into The Players Championship and the Masters just a month away.
Schauffele 2024 Results:
- 7, 2024 – T10 at The Sentry
- 21, 2024 – T3 at The American Express
- 27, 2024 – T9 at Farmers Insurance Open
- 4, 2024 – T54 at AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am
- 18, 2024 – T4 at The Genesis Invitational
- March 10, 2024 – T25 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational
Aside from the Pro-Am event at Pebble Beach, Schauffele has maintained fairly decent form. It wasn’t his best showing at Bay Hill, though four top-10 showings in six tournaments is something to build on for Schauffele.
By The Numbers
In addition to his solid results in tournaments this season, Schauffele enters The Players Championship as one of the top golfers in scoring average in 2024. Schauffele has also held his own in the Shots Gained: Total test against the field.
If Schauffele’s putter is working this weekend, he should be in a strong position to be near or at the top of the leaderboard on Sunday.
Schauffele 2024 Stats:
- Scoring Average: 7th (68.65)
- SG: Total: 8th (1.334)
- SG: Tee-to-Green: 3rd (1.535)
- SG: Approach the Green: 40th (0.411)
- Greens In Regulation: 22nd (72.51%)
- SG: Off the Tee: 8th (0.719)
Scheffler’s scoring average is 67.48, while Schauffele is at 68.65 entering TPC Sawgrass4. There isn’t much separation between the first to seventh golfer through the opening stretch of events in 2024.
Last year, Schauffele shot 72-73 through the first and second rounds in The Players Championship. However, he responded nicely for 69-68 on Saturday and Sunday. If Schauffele can get off to a quicker start this year, he will be in the mix to the end.
At +1800 odds, Schauffele might be one of The Players Championship’s best picks for this weekend.
Best Longshots for The Players Championship
I am highlighting three longshot bets for our Players Championship predictions in 2024. These are three wagers offering tremendous betting value at TPC Sawgrass:
The Players Championship 2024 Prediction and Betting Pick
Scheffler is the obvious selection, but at +600, his value continues to drop and I’m no longer interested in backing him. Alternatively, Schauffele is a serious bargain player to win at +1800.
While the 2020 Olympic gold medalist isn’t in the same form as Scheffler — nobody is right now — he has posted some solid results that have seemingly fallen through the cracks. With four top-10 finishes and an average score of 68.65, he’s holding in there with the top players of 2024.
According to Schauffele’s The Players Championship 2024 betting odds, he has an implied probability of 5.3% to win in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. That just doesn’t sound right to me. Schauffele is more likely to win the $4.5 million prize than the price suggests on Sunday.
As part of your best bets for The Players Championship 2024, consider making Schauffele your top pick at Bovada.
Sources:
Official World Golf Ranking | OWGR.com. Retrieved From “https://www.owgr.com/current-world-ranking”
Scottie Scheffler PGA Tour Stats | PGATour.com. Retrieved From “https://www.pgatour.com/player/46046/scottie-scheffler/stats”
Rory McIlroy PGA Tour Stats | PGATour.com. Retrieved From “https://www.pgatour.com/player/28237/rory-mcilroy/stats”
Xander Schauffele PGA Tour Stats | PGATour.com. Retrieved From “https://www.pgatour.com/player/48081/xander-schauffele/stats”
