The Players Championship gets underway later today, with a world-class field taking on the TPC Sawgrass in a quest to win the “fifth major”.
Boylesports are paying each way 1/4 odds a place 1,2,3,4,5 & 6
The Pete Dye-designed 7,215 yard par 72 Players Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass consists of narrow, tree-lined fairways, thick bermuda grass rough and deep, pot bunkers. The greens resemble the sub-air system at Augusta National, meaning tournament officials can control the firmness of the greens in any weather conditions.
The Players Stadium Course features three of the toughest finishing holes in golf but TPC Sawgrass is probably best known for the its par 3 17th hole which is often referred to as ‘The Island Green’ and haunts every golfer in the Players Championship field - even before they prepare to tee-up.
The ability to hit in greens-in-regulation pays huge dividends at the Players Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass, so expect to see golfers like Bill Haas (80/1 Tournament Outright), Nick Watney (45/1) and Ryan Moore (90/1) making an impression on the Players Championship leaderboard over the opening 36 holes.
Given the speed and firmness of the greens it’s inevitable that the field will struggle to hit every green which in turn puts a huge premium on scrambling, so concentrate on players like Padraig Harrington (80/1), Steve Stricker (40/1) and Zach Johnson (50/1), who have a good record at getting the ball up and down.
Putting will ultimately determine the winner of this year’s Players Championship, so with the greens set to run at 12.5 on the stimpmeter great putters like Ben Crane (45/1), Mark Wilson (200/1), Greg Chalmers (150/1) and Justin Rose (40/1) should be noted in the Players Championship betting.
The field of 145 is the strongest line-up in golf and features the world number one Rory McIlroy (10/1), who opted out of last year’s event because it didn’t fit into his schedule. Sensibly, McIlroy tees-up for this year’s championship along with fellow European’s Luke Donald (12/1), Lee Westwood (14/1), Peter Hanson (80/1) and Henrik Stenson (80/1) – the latter one of 10 past champions in the field this week.
Twelve months ago Tiger Woods (20/1) limped out of the Players and he returns this year in similar fashion after missing the cut at Quail Hollow. Woods and his fellow American’s enter this year’s Players Championship looking to end a four-year winning streak for international players but given his recent form the likes of Phil Mickelson (20/1), Jim Furyk (40/1), Hunter Mahan (35/1) and Matt Kuchar (45/1) seemingly offer better value than the faltering Woods.
Players Championship Outright Betting Tips:
Jason Day 35/1
The 24-year-old Australian withdrew from the Masters last month but there were no signs of his ankle injury at Quail Hollow last weekend when he carded four rounds under-par to finish inside the top 10. Jason Day is a tremendous scrambler and attractively priced for this year’s Players Championship.
Ben Crane 45/1
3 top 10 finishes here between 2008 and 2010 boasts well for Ben Crane, who is a superb putter and comes into this year’s event off the back of a top 25 finish at Quail Hollow. He was available at a mere 33/1 last year so double those odds this time around offers a decent bit of value.
Peter Hanson 80/1
Narrow fairways and thick rough calls for accuracy and they don’t come much straighter than Peter Hanson. The Swede fired in a 66 on moving day last year and this birdie machine could easily slip field over the opening two rounds.
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