March 5, 2026; Orlando, Florida, USA; Collin Morikawa tees off his No. 7 tee shot during the first round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-Imagn Image The PGA Tour has toned down its rhetoric this week promoting the event as the “fifth major,” but almost all players would agree that a win at TPC Sawgrass is the most coveted trophy of the year, right behind the majors.
Rory McIlroy is set to decide on match day whether to defend his title, while fellow Players champion Scottie Scheffler is also aiming to join Jack Nicklaus as the event’s only three-time winner. History shows the cream has come out on top at TPC Sawgrass, with 47 of the world’s top 50 players in the field this week.
Our golf experts preview The Players and offer their favorite prop picks along with the best bets to win this week.
players championship
Where: Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, March 12-15
Course: TPC Sawgrass (par 72, 7,352 yards)
Purse: $25M (Winner: $4.5M)
Defending Champion: Rory McIlroy
FedEx Cup Leader: Collin Morikawa
How to follow
TV: Thursday-Friday: 1-7 PM ET (Golf Channel); Saturday: 2-7 p.m. (NBC); Sunday: 1-6 PM (NBC)
Streaming (ESPN+): Thursday-Friday: 7:30 AM-7:00 PM ET; Saturday: 8am – 7pm; Sunday: 7:30 AM – 6:00 PM
X: @ThePlayers
Prop Recommendation
–Robert MacIntyre beat Brooks Koepka (-190 at DraftKings): Koepka’s best finish in six previous appearances was a tie for 11th in 2018, and his performance at TPC Sawgrass isn’t all that great. MacIntyre is quietly ranked eighth in the world and has one top-20 finish in his last four starts, but his sole finish of ninth here was last year.
–Tournament Ends in Playoffs (+350 at BetMGM): With five of the last six players decided by just one shot, the final stretch of TPC Sawgrass creates plenty of drama for players looking to reach the finish line.
–37.5 or more balls in the water on the 17th hole (-265 on DraftKings): Since 2003, 1,068 balls have hit the water on the 17th hole. The most balls during this period was 93 in 2007, with 39 in each of the last two years. With the smallest field in tournament history, it’s not overly aggressive with one of the most popular prop specials on the tournament schedule.
best choice
–Scottie Scheffler (+450 at BetMGM) won TPC Sawgrass in 2023-24 and is looking to join Jack Nicklaus as The Players’ only three-time winner. Scheffler has struggled in the opening rounds of his last four appearances, but still holds the record for the longest on tour with 69 consecutive cuts. Scheffler opened at +400, but the odds were slightly higher despite being driven by the highest overall bet at 9.7%.
–Rory McIlroy (+1600) is also a two-time winner at The Players but did not arrive at TPC Sawgrass until Wednesday after withdrawing from Arnold Palmer due to back spasms. He plans to decide Thursday morning whether to tee off on the first hole.
–Collin Morikawa (+1600), in addition to his win at Pebble Beach, topped the FedExCup standings behind a tie for 7th at Genesis and a solo 5th place at Arnold Palmer. He is the biggest liability on the books, backing 8.2% of total bets while leading the industry with 12.6% of total money wagered on winners this week. Morikawa’s odds have decreased significantly since opening at +2200.
–Ludvig Aberg (+2000) missed the cut last year after starting tied for third at Bay Hill and finishing solo eighth here in 2024. Opening at +2800, the young Swedish star is the second biggest liability and ranks third in the field in both total bets (6.6%) and total money (backed 7.5%).
–Chris Gotterup (+4500) offers interesting odds for the only two-time winner on tour this season. The public took note, supporting 4.4% of activity in both markets, making Gotterup the third-largest liability.
–Sepp Straka (+4500) offers longshot odds despite coming in at No. 9 in the world. He tied for second at Pebble Beach and tied for 13th last week.
Note
–Each of the last six winners of The Players ranked in the top 10 of this week’s Official World Golf Rankings.
–This is the first of five events this season that will award the winner 750 FedExCup points and the winner will receive a five-year PGA Tour exemption.
–Seven of the first nine events were won by players in their 20s.
–Joel Dahmen, Taylor Moore, Seamus Power and Andrew Putnam qualified for the field through the FedExCup standings through the Cognizant Classic.
–Since 2016, only three players have converted a 54-hole lead/tied lead into a win at The Players: Jason Day (2016), Webb Simpson (2018), and Scotty Scheffler (2023).
–Brooks Koepka took the field as part of his return to the PGA Tour through the Returning Member Program. To complete the trio, the addition of Patton Kizzire and Seamus Power expanded the field to 123. This still marks the smallest field in the tournament’s history.
–2021 Players champion Justin Thomas will make his second start in his return from back surgery in November.
–Fourteen players are making their tournament debuts, including seven tour rookies.
–Greg Norman holds the tournament scoring record with 264, set in 1994.
–Field level media
