No. 17 at TPC Sawgrass is one of the best par-3s in golf; and one of the hardest
Scottie Scheffler won for the second time in a month on the PGA Tour, overcoming U.S. Open-like conditions to claim the Arnold Palmer Invitational by a shot over Billy Horschel, Tyrrell Hatton and Viktor Hovland at Bay Hill in Orlando.
Scheffler, who earlier won the Waste Management Phoenix Open, made clutch putts to close at 5-under and rise to No. 5 in the Official World Golf Ranking.
The tight finish sets the stage for the “fifth major” this week at The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. With a $20 million purse at stake and some big names sitting this one out Phil Mickelson (post Saudi debacle), Tiger Woods (continued injury rehab) and Bryson DeChambeau (wrist, hip issues) the game’s remaining elite players are licking their chops.
The island green at No. 17 can be tricky, especially given forecasts for stormy weather on the way. The par 72, 7,256-yard course does not necessarily lend itself to a bomber, an elite ball-striker or a precocious putter stealing the show. Different strokes have got the job done here. Justin Thomas is your defending champion.
Last week, we here at FrontPageBets had Scheffler slated for a top-10 finish and he surpassed our expectations. Rory McIlroy (T-13) came up short of our top-5 forecast. Our pick to click, Keith Mitchell, checked in at T-61.
Who will cash in from the shadows of PGA Tour headquarters?
You can follow the action on TV as follows: Thursday, noon to 6 p.m., GolfChannel; Friday. noon to 6 p.m., GolfChannel; Saturday, 1 to 6 p.m., NBC; and Sunday, 1 p.m. to 6 p.m., NBC.
(All odds DraftKings)
The favorites: Jon Rahm, Justin Thomas (+1000)
Rahm remains No. 1 in the world. His top ranking off the tee and steady strokes gained approach the green stats haven’t brought big dividends the last few times out (T-21 Genesis and T-17 API). No. 8 Thomas turned it on here last year, closing with rounds of 64 and 68 to pocket the fat check. He is coming off consecutive top-10s in his last two starts.
Pick to win: Patrick Cantlay (+2000)
World No. 4 and defending FedEx Cup champ Cantlay has been disappointing in his last two Players appearances, missing the cut both times. But his steady play this season (second at the WMPO, four top-10s in last five outings) show strong form heading into this year’s edition.
Top 5: Brooks Koepka (+900)
No. 18 Koepka has a flair for the biggest events, as evidenced by his four major victories. He’s been a mixed bag of late with two missed cuts sandwiched around a T-3 finish in Phoenix and a T-16 at the Honda Classic. He will be a factor in Ponte Vedra.
Top 10: Daniel Berger (+400)
Berger, 20th in the OWGR, saw a five-shot, final-round lead fritter away at the Honda Classic a few weeks back. He’s too good of a player to suffer a hangover from that indignity. In a short sample size, he’s had one missed cut, a T-20 at the Farmers, a fourth at Honda and a T-5 at the Sentry Tournament of Champions.
More notable Players Championship odds to win
Collin Morikawa (+1600)
Rory McIlroy (+1600)
Viktor Hovland (+2200)
Scottie Scheffler (+2000)
Xander Schauffele (+2500)
Hideki Matsuyama (+2500)
Cameron Smith (+3000)
Dustin Johnson (+3500)
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Gerry Ahern is senior content editor for FrontPageBets. A 35-year veteran sports editor and digital media executive, he has led coverage of the biggest events in sports, from Super Bowls, to Final Fours, to Olympics, to the Masters.
