THE PLAYERS Championship Free Picks, Predictions and DFS Lineup March 14-17

THE PLAYERS Championship Betting Preview

WagerTalk golf handicapper Andy Lang offers his thoughts on the the THE PLAYERS Championship teeing off from Players Stadium Course in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL. Andy discusses his DraftKings Darlings, golfers to who can trip you up and the course and more surrounding THE PLAYERS Championship starting March 7th!

$15 FREE for PREMIUM GOLF PICKS – CLAIM BELOW

Stay on top of the latest Golf updates direct from Las Vegas!

WagerTalk also offers Free Picks all year long!

THE PLAYERS Championship	THE PLAYERS Championship Betting Notes
When:	March 14-17
Where:	Players Stadium Course in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL
Defending Champ:	Scottie Scheffler
Current Favorite:	Scottie Scheffler (+500 at DraftKings)
TV:	Golf Channel, NBC

It was a great 2-0 week for us on WagerTalk client plays moving us to over 61% winners this year, which will easily get me to another profitable year if I can keep that up. We have another 4% play up right now to continue the momentum, you can grab it on my profile page here: http://wt.buzz/al

THE PLAYERS Championship Course: Players Stadium Course in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL

One of the more famous courses on tour, this course doesn’t favor a certain type of player, and the saying with this tournament is that the best player on that particular week wins the tourney. Bombers can’t overpower every hole, and the rough can be long so inaccurate tee shots set up difficult approach shots.

The tournament used to be played later in the year, and the move to March has made the rough not as difficult as before, and Rory McIlory commented that it lends itself to more aggressive play now as the rough around the greens aren’t too punishing.

There are plenty of bunkers and water across all holes for players to avoid, but the greens are pretty smooth so the course rewards great shots, and scoring will probably be between -17 and -21.

The weather looks to be good with the only potential tough spots on Friday late and Sunday late, but it doesn’t look to be anything severe unless there is lightning in the area.

Favorite Holes

Hole 8 237 yard Par 3

It’s the toughest green to hit in regulation, and there is trouble almost everywhere surrounding the green with slopes and bunkers. The length makes club selection tough, and getting the ball to stop on the green is next to impossible if you fade or pull the long iron tee shot.

Hole 12 358 yard Par 4

This is technically a drivable Par 4, as it bends to the left, but there is trouble in the form of water and a bunker around the green. It’s definitely a high risk, high reward hole and there will be a lot of guys who lay up and trust their short game to get par or better.

Hole 17 137 yard Par 3

One of the most iconic holes in all of golf, it’s an island green that trips golfers up every year. The dropzone isn’t easy either, and there will be plenty of balls in the water from shots that go straight into the water, and there will be shots that hit the green and roll into the water which has to be one of the most frustrating things to watch as a player.

THE PLAYERS Championship Field

It’s no surprise that the field is loaded this week with all the big names coming out for this tournament. The purse is massive, and this is seen as the closest thing to a Major without actually being a Major.

Scheffler is the headliner and the betting favorite while Mcilroy, Schauffele, Thomas, Hovland and all the other big names on tour will be teeing it up this week.

Strokes Gained Last Three Months (PGA Tour Only)

1. Scottie Scheffler 2.95
2. Xander Schauffele 2.13
3. Sam Burns 2.08
4. Justin Thomas 2.06
5. Jordan Spieth 1.83
6. Matthieu PAvon 1.80
7. Will Zalatoris 1.72
8. Wyndham Clark 1.67
9. Byeong Hun An 1.66
10. Sahith Theegala 1.66

THE PLAYERS Championship: Players That Can Trip You Up

Rory McIlroy

He keeps being priced as a Top 3 golfer, but he has yet to finish in the Top 20 on the PGA Tour this season. Austin Eckroat, Adam Hadwin, Beau Hossler, and Alex Noren all have better total strokes gained than Rory McIlroy this year, and on top of that, Rory has missed the cut in three out of the last five years he’s played here.

He has a win and a 33rd as his other two finishes, but this isn’t a course he plays well at every year. He’s unbettable at this point, and Scheffler is -200 in the head-to-head matchups, and I would absolutely take Scheffler at that price.

Patrick Cantlay

Cantlay doesn’t have good history here as he’s finised 19th, MC, MC, MC, 23, 22 in his career, and he has kind of stumbled out of the gate this season.

He has one finish in the Top 10 this year, and he’s only 15th in strokes gained this year. He’s priced as a Top 5 guy, but I just don’t see betting on him at this point until he shows he has the ability to compete for a win every week. I won’t be betting on him this week.

Sam Burns

I was almost ready to buy into Sam Burns as he was on his way to a solid finish against last week, and then he fell apart in the last round, and now I have to worry about his inconsistencies that have plagued him in the past.

He had four straight top 10 finishes before last week, and he fell to 30th on Sunday, and he hasn’t done well at this tournament finishing 35, 26, MC in his three appearances.

His numbers this year are great, but that last round on Sunday could be a sign of things to come as he regresses back. I hope not, I hope he rips off another Top 10 finish and moves higher up the power rankings, but I won’t pay to see it this week.

THE PLAYERS Championship: DraftKings Darlings

Andrew Novak $6400

Novak has finished 8, 8, 9 in his last three tournaments after missing the cut the first three tournaments of the year so I have no idea if he changed something with his game or if he’s getting ready to come crashing back to Earth, but at $6400 it’s worth a shot to see if he can pull off another big finish.

Austin Eckroat $6500

Eckroat won two weeks ago, and came back strong the next week with a 36th place finish, which was a really obvious letdown spot and he performed well. He’s only missed one cut out of seven tournaments, and he’s top 40 in strokes gained in this field, better than McIlroy and Hovland.

Denny McCarthy $6900

McCarthy has played here the last four years, and made the cut in all four tourneys including 13th last year. He’s made the cut in six out of seven tournaments this season so if he can get us weekend points, it’s a great price at $6900.

Full Lineup:
Andrew Novak $6400
Austin Eckroat $6500
Denny McCarthy $6900
Keith Mitchell $7500
Will Zalatoris $9900
Scottie Scheffler $12,800

THE PLAYERS Championship Additional Betting Notes

-Keith Mitchell has finished Top 20 in his last three events, and has finished 35, 13 the last two years here.
-Only one player in the field has finished Top 10 two years in a row here…Viktor Hovland
-Harris English has made the cut in every tournament in 2024, but hasn’t made the cut the last 7 appearances here

**************************************************

Looking for more free sports picks and sports betting tips?

• Latest Betting Odds and Public Action: Vegas lines updated in real time, including who the public is betting on.
• Last Minute Handicapping Advice: Check out our extensive library of handicapping tips and advice from professional Vegas handicappers (we also recommend taking the time to look over our sports betting tips video library)
• Want an expert opinion? Check out the latest Free Sports Picks and Best Bets from our team of expert sports handicappers.

Make sure to bookmark all the above!