2026 Players Championship Betting Preview: Picks, Predictions, Odds for TPC Sawgrass

It's time for one of the biggest golf events of the year, the unofficial fifth major, The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass.

The 2025 edition of the event had a unique ending, as J.J. Spaun and Rory McIlroy had to come back Monday for a three-hole playoff after a rain delay on Sunday. McIlroy won the playoff, capturing his second Players Championship.

This year, with Scottie Scheffler’s play in a bit of a slump and McIlroy having to withdraw from last week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational due to back spasms, it seems like anyone's tournament to win.

Let’s dive into everything you need to know to bet on the tournament, including my best bets.

The Players Championship odds

Top 15 odds via FanDuel Sportsbook

Scottie Scheffler +440
Rory McIlroy +1300
Collin Morikawa +2000
Si Woo Kim +2500
Ludvig Aberg +2500
Tommy Fleetwood +2500
Xander Schauffele +2700
Russell Henley +3000
Cameron Young +3300
Hideki Matsuyama +3500
Min Woo Lee +4000
Akshay Bhatia +4000
Viktor Hovland +4000
Sepp Straka +4500
Matt Fitzpatrick +4500

The Players Championship how to watch

Thursday: 1–7 p.m. ET (Golf Channel)
Friday: 1–7 p.m. ET (Golf Channel)
Saturday: 2–7 p.m. ET (NBC/Peacock)
Sunday: 1–6 p.m. ET (NBC/Peacock)

The Players Championship purse

Date: Thursday, Mar. 12–Sunday, Mar. 15
Purse: $25 million ($4.5 million to winner)
2025 champion: Rory McIlroy

The Players Championship best bets

TPC Sawgrass is all about accuracy, especially over the past few years since the PGA Tour grew the rough out to 3.5 inches. That’s why I'm going to target accurate drivers who can hit greens at a high rate.

Collin Morikawa +2200 via DraftKings

Of the top names on the odds list, Collin Morikawa is the one that sticks out to me the most. He enters this week ranking ninth in driving accuracy, fifth in strokes-gained approach and he’s coming into the Players in great form after finishing inside the top seven in three straight starts, including getting the win at Pebble Beach. Morikawa also had a 10th-place finish here last year.

Morikawa checks every single possible box you want in picking a winner this week. His style of golf fits TPC Sawgrass to perfection. I think it’s a matter of “when” he's going to win a Players, instead of a matter of “if.”

Si Woo Kim +2700 via Bet365

Si Woo Kim is quietly having one of the best statistical seasons of his career, and now he returns to the event he won back in 2017 and has posted two top-10 finishes since. He’s fourth on the PGA Tour in driving accuracy and second in strokes gained approach.

He has five finishes of T13 or better this season. All he needs this week is a few more putts to drop at a course where he has plenty of confidence and he’ll be in contention on the weekend.

Aaron Rai +10000 via Bet365

Aaron Rai has played well but not great, this season, which just means we can get better odds on him this week. He is the dictionary definition of an accurate golfer, ranking 15th in driving accuracy and 10th in greens in regulation. He already has two top-20 finishes in three starts at this event, so if his game peaks this week, he would make a lot of sense to be in the mix on the weekend.

If you want to bet on a long shot at 100 to 1, Rai is your guy.

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Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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You can check out all of Iain's bets here!