Last updated: Monday, March 9 at 2:40 p.m. ET.
⛳ THE PLAYERS Championship: Key takeaways
- Best early bet: Collin Morikawa to win (+2000) – Complete game has been on full display with true strokes gained across the board during three-event heater.
- Best early value: Min Woo Lee to win (+4000) – Current form isn’t properly priced ahead of fourth trip to THE PLAYERS.
- Course: The Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass is a 7,352-yard Par 72 Pete Dye masterpiece with water hazards on 17 of 18 holes, and it's designed to play style neutral with more emphasis on course management and managing risk.
- Weather: A strong cold front is forecast to push across northern Florida with rain and thunderstorms likely on Thursday. Cooler temperatures are forecast behind the front as winds flip to the northeast on Friday and Saturday. Scattered thunderstorms are possible on Sunday.
- Expected cut: This event was expanded to 123 players Monday afternoon, and the cut will be made after 36 holes to the Top 65 and ties. The cut line has been between even par the past two years and +3 the prior two.
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THE PLAYERS Championship odds: favorites & full field
The THE PLAYERS Championship runs March 12-15 at TPC Sawgrass. Below are the latest outright odds, followed by the picks and market-by-market best bets we like this week.
| Golfer |  |
|---|---|
 Scottie Scheffler |
+450 |
 Rory McIlroy |
+1200 |
 Collin Morikawa |
+2000 |
 Xander Schauffele |
+2200 |
 Ludvig Aberg |
+2500 |
 Tommy Fleetwood |
+2500 |
 Si Wo Kim |
+2500 |
 Russell Henley |
+3000 |
 Cameron Young |
+3300 |
Odds as of Monday, March 9, at 2:40 p.m. ET.
Check out the full PLAYERS Championship field here.
Course breakdown: What wins at TPC Sawgrass?
The toast of Pete Dye designs, The Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass rewards precise ball-striking, a crafty short game, and course-management acumen. It’s a Par 72 that stretches to just 7,352 yards with four Par 3s and four Par 5s.
A demanding three-hole closing stretch has often decided the tournament, with the gettable Par-5 16th, signature island green Par-3 17th, and daunting Par-4 18th all potential swing holes featuring true risk/reward decisions.
Additionally, the unique layout often prompts players to use less than driver on a number of the Par 4s, so driving accuracy is at a premium far more than distance off the tee.
Water hazards defend 17 of the 18 holes, too, and the course is also littered with 88 prohibitively placed bunkers. Add firm, fast overseeded Bermudagrass greens protected by undulated runoffs to the thick rough, and experience and course knowledge are huge assets at TPC Sawgrass.
As a result, there’s no single path to victory at this track. Rory McIlroy's win last year was more the result of strategically navigating Sawgrass, as opposed to overpowering it.
Additionally, Scheffler and Justin Thomas paced the field in true strokes gained tee-to-green for their respective 2023 and 2021 wins, while Cameron Smith finished first in true strokes gained putting and 68th in strokes gained tee-to-green during his 2022 win. For comparison, McIlroy respectively ranked fifth and 10th in the two metrics last year.
Finally, the elements have proven to wreak havoc during this event, and the weather forecast is calling for potential thunderstorms on Thursday and possibly again on Sunday.
- Driving accuracy and ball-striking precision trump distance
- Course management is paramount
- Scrambling key due to undulated runoffs on the greens
- Capitalize on the four reachable Par 5s is critical
Players to watch
- Scottie Scheffler: A two-time PLAYERS champion, the World No. 1 is the betting favorite to pick up win No. 2 of the season this week.
- Si Woo Kim: The 2017 winner has an elite tee-to-green game and two more Top 10s in this event on his resume.
- Tom Hoge: While the tee-to-green specialist lacks current form, Hoge has a pair of T3s at TPC Sawgrass and has gained true strokes on approaches in seven consecutive trips to the track.
Key stats & player profiles to target
- True strokes gained approach
- True strokes gained tee-to-green
- Par-5 scoring
- Scrambling and true strokes gained around-the-green
- Bogey Avoidance
- Driving accuracy
Players to watch
- Collin Morikawa: Complete game has been on full display with true strokes gained across the board during a three-event heater consisting of a win, T7 and solo-fifth.
- Min Woo Lee: Heating up with a pair of Top 5s through his past three events, and he’s fourth in Par 5 scoring.
- Sepp Straka: With true strokes gained on approaches in six consecutive events and each of his past three trips to TPC Sawgrass, the four-time PGA Tour winner is a longshot candidate.
Outright picks: winners to bet
Pick 1: Collin Morikawa to win (+2000)
In complete control of his entire game during active win-T7-5th stretch while gaining true strokes across the board and pacing this field in both true strokes gained tee-to-green and on approaches across his past 12 rounds.
- Course Fit: Elite ball-striking form for a ball-strikers paradise
- Recent Form: Results and metrics as good as anyone in field
- Market Value: Expect +2000 odds to drop before Round 1
Risk: Collin Morikawa has topped out with T10 in this event.
Pick 2: Min Woo Lee to win (+4000)
Min Woo Lee is rolling along a T2-T12-T6 heater with true strokes gained across the board, including ranking seventh in this field in tee-to-green play. I also value him ranking fourth in Par 5 scoring and ninth in adjusted scoring average to start the season.
- Course Fit: Top 20s in two of three trips with a T6 in debut
- Recent Form: T2-T12-T6 run with true strokes gained in all metrics
- Market Value: Long price given current form and course history
Risk: Lone PGA Tour win was in a shallow-field event.
Odds movement & market notes
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is the betting favorite despite his game slipping and finishing lower in four consecutive events, albeit those four results go to the tune of a T3-T4-T12-T24 stretch. Of course, Scheffler also won THE PLAYERS in 2023 and 2024. Interestingly, Scheffler has already moved from an opening +400 up to +450 at BetMGM as of Monday afternoon.
Of note is Akshay Bhatia opening at +4000 through BetMGM following his win at the Arnold Palmer Invitational because he also finished T3 in the 2025 PLAYERS while gaining true strokes across the board. The lefty also carded a T3-T6-T16 run ahead of last week’s win, so Bhatia clearly checks the current form and course-history boxes, too.
I’m particularly interested to see if Brooks Koepka and 2021 PLAYERS winner Justin Thomas continue to be popular bets.
Koepka surged to a T9 in the Cognizant Classic in his last event, while Thomas missed the cut at the API last week.
How to watch & tee times
How to watch (All Times ET):
- Thursday-Friday: 1-7 p.m, Golf Channel
- Saturday: 2-7 p.m., NBC, Peacock
- Sunday: 1-6 p.m., NBC, Peacock
Tee times:
Groupings for Rounds 1 and 2 should be released on Tuesday, March 10, via the PGA Tour website.
Featured Groups:
- Scottie Scheffler, Justin Thomas, and Tommy Fleetwood
- Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele, and Hideki Matsuyama
THE PLAYERS Championship betting FAQ
When is the 2026 PLAYERS Championship?
The 2026 edition of THE PLAYERS is Thursday, March 12, to Sunday, March 15.
Where will the 2026 PLAYERS Championship be played?
The 2026 PLAYERS is being played at The Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.
What is the “Florida Swing?”
THE PLAYERS is the third event of the "Florida Swing," which is a series of tournaments played on the state's challenging Bermuda grass courses.
Who is the 2026 PLAYERS Championship favorite?
World No. 1 and two-time winner Scottie Scheffler is the betting favorite in the THE PLAYERS odds at BetMGM.
What are THE PLAYERS Championship FRL markets?
First Round Leader (FRL) markets center around which player(s) will be in the lead following the first 18 holes of the tournament.
How do THE PLAYERS Championship matchup bets work?
When betting THE PLAYERS matchups, you're selecting which golfer will score better between the two players listed in that specific market. There are 18-hole, single-round matchups, in addition to tournament-long, 72-hole matchups.
What is cut line at the PLAYERS Championship?
THE PLAYERS is a full-field event featuring 121 players. The cut will be made after 36 holes to the Top 65 and ties.
Are THE PLAYERS Championship odds the same across all sportsbooks?
You'll see slight variations in odds across sportsbooks for THE PLAYERS; it's always good practice to check multiple sports betting sites for the best odds.
