After two brutal setups kicked off the Florida Swing, it’s time to shift gears to Ponte Vedra Beach. Another grueling week is in store in at THE PLAYERS Championship, as firm and fast conditions are to be expected. Trouble lurks at every turn, and the Sunshine State will have baked out the greens by the time the weekend arrives.

Known as the “5th Major” and the best field in golf, 144 world-class golfers convene at TPC Sawgrass to battle it out for a record purse. The ante at the 2020 PLAYERS Championship has been upped to a whopping $15 million – with a check for $2.7 million going home to the winner. Both are new highs for a single PGA Tour event.

This 2020 THE PLAYERS Championship odds and predictions post aims to find out who will be the beneficiary of a seriously-padded bank account.

2020 PLAYERS Championship Odds to Win

Rory McIlroy +700 Jon Rahm +1200 Justin Thomas +1400 Bryson DeChambeau +2200 Dustin Johnson +2500 Tommy Fleetwood +2500 Hideki Matsuyama +2800 Sungjae Im +2800 Xander Schauffele +2800 Patrick Cantlay +2800 Webb Simpson +2800 Adam Scott +3000 Patrick Reed +3300 Rickie Fowler +3500 Brooks Koepka +4000 Marc Leishman +4500 Tyrrell Hatton +4500 Gary Woodland +5000 Collin Morikawa +5000 Matt Kuchar +5500 Paul Casey +6000 Tony Finau +6000 Justin Rose +6000 Matthew Fitzpatrick +6000 Jason Day +6600 Daniel Berger +6600 Louis Oosthuizen +6600 Sergio Garcia +7000 Byeong Hun An +7000 Abraham Ancer +8000 Henrik Stenson +8000 Jordan Spieth +8000 Brandt Snedeker +8000 Shane Lowry +8000 Ian Poulter +9000 Billy Horschel +9000 Joel Dahmen +10000 Viktor Hovland +10000 Click to Open

I’m still coming to grips with all of the value that’s available. Because the field is so stacked with superstars, the best golf betting sites had no choice but to price certain players higher than they would have on a typical week.

For example, seeing names like Tony Finau and Justin Rose at +6000 to win on the PGA Tour just doesn’t happen. I can’t recall Brooks Koepka being installed at +4000 to emerge for at least two years.

In fact, once you start scouring the odds at multiple PGA Tour sportsbooks, you’ll notice some major discrepancies toward the bottom of the list. I’ll be uncovering the hidden value in a future post when I dive into some PLAYERS Championship sleepers and value-plays.

What Happened at the 2019 PLAYERS Championship?

Rory McIlroy birdied 5 of his final 10 holes to hold off a hard-charging Jim Furyk by one shot to claim his maiden victory at the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass. “Rors” arrived at THE PLAYERS Championship last year on the heels of five consecutive top-6 finishes, and he’s unfathomably in even better form this time around.

Case in point – McIlroy has finished inside of the top 5 in all 6 of his PGA Tour starts this season.

Jhonattan Vegas and Eddie Pepperell finished two shots back at -14 in a tie for third, while Dustin Johnson, Brandt Snedeker, and Tommy Fleetwood rounded out the top 5 at -13.

The 36-hole cut fell at one-under-par, and I’d be remiss if I didn’t bring up Jon Rahm’s memorable collapse. Rahm entered the final round with a one-stroke lead but registered five bogeys and a double. His Sunday struggles were exacerbated by this horrendous decision on the 11th hole.

Back Rory at +700?

Without a “weak link” to be found in the entire 144-man field, it’s hard to get on board backing an individual to win at +700. At the same time, all Rory does is put himself in contention on Sunday afternoons on the PGA Tour – and I mean that quite literally.

Calling his ball-striking superb would be an understatement, and the fact that he’s leading the tour in scrambling simply makes him deadly. As far as how motivated he’ll be to defend his title, he’ll be paired alongside Jon Rahm and Brooks Koepka for the first two rounds at TPC Sawgrass.

That should tell you all you need to know.

Some of the top PGA Tour betting sites have Rory McIlroy listed at +650 to hoist the trophy at THE PLAYERS Championship, so this +700 price tag at MyBookie isn’t as egregious as you think. Despite there not being loads of upside attached, it’s hard to argue there’s a better bet to latch onto.

My Pick to Win THE PLAYERS Championship

When I think about what it takes to succeed at the demanding layout at the Stadium Course, I think about a player with a calm demeanor and a killer instinct. I think about a guy who has no holes in his game, someone who has won big tournaments before, and someone who is fresh and ready to compete.

Aside from the aforementioned McIlroy, does anyone fit this bill more than Patrick Cantlay?

Cantlay missed the cut at the 2019 PLAYERS Championship, but before you get your panties in a bunch, let’s put that it into perspective. It’s the only MC on Patrick’s resume since last January, and he’s quietly playing extremely stellar in 2020. He’s 2nd on the PGA Tour in GIR, 3rd in par-4 scoring, not to mention, clocks in at 3rd in birdie or better percentage (26.94%).

The 2019 winner at Jack’s Place hits it plenty long and can get red-hot with the putter – as it’s no fluke he’s currently occupying the 6th slot in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR). As his confidence continues to grow, he’s only going to get better and start winning more golf tournaments.

Rather than be late to the party, I’m purchasing a ticket to ride on the Cantlay train.

Pick Patrick Cantlay +2800

Quick Recap

My PLAYERS Championship prediction is just the beginning of my PGA Tour betting coverage this week. I alluded to discussing some sleepers in an upcoming post, and my PLAYERS Championship DFS picks will follow shortly after.

If you’d rather wait and pounce on the matchup picks that are screaming with value, stay tuned for what’s to come on our golf blog. With as much action taking place from now until Sunday, the plan is to leave no stone unturned.