Odds reveal Players Championship contenders for TPC Sawgrass

After this weekend’s Arnold Palmer Invitational, perhaps the biggest non-Major tournament in golf is up next: the Players Championship. It is often considered the fifth Major, but either way, it’s one of the biggest events in golf. With the Masters not until next month, it’s one of the biggest pieces of the early portion of the schedule, and it’s up next.

The field, as it always is, is stacked with talent. The best golfers in the world should all converge on TPC Sawgrass, but only one can emerge victorious. Who will it be? The odds believe a certain champion from the past will repeat as victor.

Odds show Scottie Scheffler as Players Championship favorite

Scottie Scheffler, the world number one, is not enjoying the level of success he did last year. He hasn’t won yet, and his best finish is a T3 at the Genesis Open where he was three strokes short of a win. Nevertheless, the odds think the Players Championship will be his first win of 2025.

Last year, he became the first player to win two consecutive Players titles. Suffice it to say, a win this year would be just as historic. Few players have ever won three consecutive iterations of the same tournament, let alone this one.

With that said, here are the top contenders according to Golf Monthly:

• Scottie Scheffler (+500)
• Rory McIlroy (+900)
• Collin Morikawa (+1400)
• Ludvig Aberg (+1800)
• Xander Schauffele (+1800)
• Justin Thomas (+2000)
• Tommy Fleetwood (+2200)
• Russell Henley (+2200)
• Patrick Cantlay (+2500)
• Hideki Matsuyama (+2800)
• Shane Lowry (+3300)
• Corey Conners (+4000)
• Keegan Bradley (+4500)
• Sepp Straka (+4500)
• Sungjae Im (+4500)
• Daniel Berger (+5000)
• Jason Day (+5000)
• Tony Finau (+5000)

Scheffler has his work cut out for him, but he did so in all the Signature Events (including the Players Championship) that he won last year. He’s the world number one for a reason, and he just might pick this weekend to reassert himself as the preeminent dominant force in golf.

It’s not as if Scheffler is playing poorly. His worst finish is a T25 at the WM Phoenix Open, where he still shot nine under. He just hasn’t been quite as dominant yet, but this weekend could be a good place for him to start. The odds certainly believe he can.