The Players Championship 2024
The Players Championships is one of the most significant tournaments on the PGA Tour. Aside from Majors, it’s probably the tournament that grabs the most attention. The top 50 players in the rankings compete in the Players Championship, which typically sees it called the fifth major on the calendar. It is played annually in March, and all the information related to the event can be found here.
Top Golf Betting Sites in 2024
The interest in the event is increased both by the strong field of players, as well as the venue, with the event hosted at TPC at Sawgrass Stadium Course. The course is widely regarded as one of the very best in the world. Furthermore, The Players Championship has the biggest prize purse of any tournament ($20 million), even though it’s not recognized as an official event on the European Tour.
Owing to its prestige, the event is often referred to as the “fifth major.” Aside from the healthy prize purse, the winner of The Players Championship receives 80 world ranking points. As you can imagine, an event of this caliber attracts great sportsbook coverage, with competitive odds for some of the world’s best.
Everything You Need to Know About the Players Championship
Since its inception in 1974, the Players Championship has been one of the most sought-after tournaments on the PGA Tour. The event takes place in March, and it is one of the most anticipated early events on the calendar.
As of 2022, the purse stands at $20 million, while players can also pick up 80 world ranking points, and a five-year exemption for the PGA Tour. Furthermore, the winning player will also receive a three-year invitation to The Masters, and a three-year exemption to both the US Open and The Open Championship.
Field
The Players Championship field is made up of 144 players who have qualified after passing the following criteria:
- Top 125 players from the previous season’s FedEx Cup rankings
- Winners of PGA Tour events since the last Players Championship
- All Majors winners in the previous five years
- The Tour Championship winners from the past three years
- Players Championship winners from the past five years
- World Golf Championship winners from the past three years
- Top 50 from the PGA World Rankings
- Arnold Palmer Invitational and Memorial Tournament winners from the past three years
- Reigning Senior Players champion
- Money leader from the Korn Ferry Tour Finals
- Korn Ferry Tour money leader from the previous season
- Top 10 current-year FedEx Cup points leaders
- The remaining positions and alternates are filled through the current year’s FedEx Cup standings.
Playoff Format
The Players Championship brings high drama with its playoff format. In case of a tie after 72 holes at the end of the competition, the players head to a three-hole aggregate playoff. Apart from the PGA Championship, this is the only tournament on the Tour that implements this format.
The three holes involved in the playoff are the par-5 16th, par-3 17th, and par-4 18th. If the winner isn’t decided after a three-hole aggregate, the remaining players go to sudden death and move to the 17th (then the 18th, 16th, 17th, and back to the 18th hole, until the winner is decided).
The Players Championship used to begin the sudden death with the 17th hole, but it was changed to the current format in 2014. However, we’ve seen only one playoff since the change in 2014. This came when Rickie Fowler dismantled Sergio Garcia and Kevin Kisner to win the title in the 2015 event. Kisner and Fowler were tied after the three-hole aggregate, but Fowler emerged victorious with a birdie on the legendary 17th.
Past Winners
| Year | Winner | Score | Runner-Up | Score |
| 2022 | Cameron Smith | 275 | Anirban Lahiri | 274 |
| 2021 | Justin Thomas | 274 | Lee Westwood | 273 |
| 2020 | Event Cancelled | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 2019 | Rory Mcllroy | 272 | Jim Furyk | 273 |
| 2018 | Webb Simpson | 270 | Xander Schauffele Charl Schwartzel Jimmy Walker | 274 274 274 |
| 2017 | Si Woo Kim | 278 | Louis Oosthuizen Ian Poulter | 281 281 |
| 2016 | Jason Day | 273 | Kevin Chapell | 277 |
| 2015 | Rickie Fowler | 276 | Sergio Garcia Kevin Kisner | 276 276 |
| 2014 | Martin Kaymer | 275 | Jim Furyk | 276 |
| 2013 | Tiger Woods | 275 | David Lingmerth Jeff Maggert Kevin Streelman | 277 277 277 |
| 2012 | Matt Kuchar | 275 | Ben Curtis Rickie Fowler Zach Johnson Martin Laird | 277 277 277 277 |
| 2011 | K.J. Choi | 275 | David Toms | 275 |
| 2010 | Tim Clark | 272 | Robert Allenby | 273 |
2023 Players Championship
The upcoming edition of the Players Championship is scheduled for March 9–12, 2023, at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. The event takes place on the Players Stadium Course — one of the two courses located at the venue.
TPC Sawgrass is a recipient of the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence. The venue has been listed as one of the top-10 ranked resort golf courses in the US, and the top course in Florida. Pete Dye designed the course. The Players Stadium Course is known for the intimidating par-3 17th hole, known as the “Island Green.”
The challenging layout at the Players Stadium Course is constructed so that no two consecutive holes ever play in the same direction. Sandy waste areas, traditional Scottish links-style bunkers, and water hazards come into play on every hole make, making the competition more challenging. The course also has hundreds of pines, oaks, and palms, making life extremely difficult for the professionals.
Players Championship Betting Markets
The Players Championship sees an elite field in competition. It makes for a fantastic betting event with competitive prices in the outright market for many established players.
In addition to the outright market, sportsbooks will offer many other markets. These can provide excellent value alternative bets in a wide-open event.
From the outright winner to the 3-Ball, the range of the Players Championship odds will provide you with plenty of options. For this event, you’ll find all the popular betting markets like:
- Top 10, top 20 finish
- First-round leader
- Top nationality
- Hole in one
- Tournament winner
- 3-ball bets
- Specials
Betting Strategies
The key to making a long-term profit on golf betting is developing a strategy to help you find value betting opportunities. That said, here are some factors that you should pay attention to when making your Players Championship bets.
Study Player Form
One of the most important factors to consider is the players’ form. You should study their performances leading into the Players Championship. Players that have struggled to make the cut in recent events should be ruled out, as only confident players excel around the course at TPC Sawgrass. Although it’s the beginning of the year, there are several tournaments in January and February, and they can be a good indicator of a player’s form coming into the Players Championship.
Study Course Form
The second factor to consider is how individual stars perform at the Players Stadium Course. Keep in mind that no one has been able to win the event consecutively and that no player other than Jack Nicklaus has more than two titles. Conditions at the Players Championship can be tricky, so look for golfers who play well under pressure, especially during the infamous 17th hole. The course has plenty of obstacles throughout, so make sure you pick a player that has a sound game on the greens rather than going for the big drivers off the tee.
Study the Stats
An in-depth study of statistics can give bettors an edge over a sportsbook. Courses like the Players Stadium demand accuracy off the tee. You should find statistics showing how players perform off their first shot. Also, you should check out whether your player has good putting skills. If they don’t have a strong game on the greens, it’s highly unlikely that they’ll win an event like this.
Avoid Outsiders
You should avoid backing players who are yet to win on the PGA Tour. They don’t necessarily have to be a former Players Championship winner, but they should have at least one career win. All the top players will come prepared for the tournament, with so many points and money on the line. So, this is not one of the events to find a +10000 outsider. Good course experience and past performances count for a lot at TPC Sawgrass.
