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Horse Racing Players Championship Tips 2024 - 46.00 Expert Pick For This Weekend’s Action
TPC Sawgrass is the host venue for the Players Championship. Our betting expert Duncan Campbell has prepared his Players Championship tips for the 2024 edition of this tournament. Our Players Championship tip is for Si Woo Kim to win each way at odds of 45/1.
- Selection: Si Woo Kim EW (1/5 1-8)
- Best Odds: 46.00 (bet365)
- Stakes: 1/10
Odds via bet365 as at 22.55 March 11th 2024. Odds may now differ.
How to win at Sawgrass
Thursday, 14th March, 12:00 (UK)
This will be the 50th Players Championship, with TPC Sawgrass having hosted since 1982.
The Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass is a Pete Dye design that plays to a length of 7,275 yards. A stock par 72 on the card, it offers a fascinating mix of risk and reward. Dye is famed for visually testing players with his designs and the Stadium Course is no exception, with some spectacular holes throughout. The 17th hole is famed for its island green and odds are even available for how many balls find the water over the course of the four days.
A strong tee to green game is required to win at TPC Sawgrass, with each of the past four winners ranking inside the top ten for Strokes Gained Approach and three of the four ranking inside the top ten for Strokes Gained Off The Tee. Winning scores for each of the past four events have been between thirteen and nineteen under par.
Only two players have managed to win this event when making their debut and fifteen of the last seventeen winners had made at least three starts at TPC Sawgrass before lifting the trophy. In addition, each of the past fifteen winners had played The Players Championship in the year prior to winning, so course experience is certainly a key consideration for my Players Championship tips.
The weather could have a say in who lifts the trophy at the end of the week. Potential thunderstorms on Friday afternoon could mean those scheduled to play on Friday afternoon could well play much of their second round on Saturday morning in slightly easier conditions. The outlook for the rest of the week looks to be favourable though.
Scheffler a Strong Favourite Again
Defending champion, Scottie Scheffler is considered a strong favourite at the front of the betting for this week’s Players Championship and was close to selection as this week’s Players Championship tip. A commanding five stroke performance at last week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational was impressive not only for the usual tee to green excellence but for the fact he looked far more comfortable on the greens than he has done recently. Scheffler’s putting performance improved in each round last week and that is ominous for the field this week.
Scheffler will have to overcome the draw bias which has existed in this event in recent years if he is to defend his title. Thirteen of the past fifteen winners of the Players Championship have had a morning tee time in round one and that trend includes the last eight winners. This week’s weather forecast suggests the morning starters on day one could once again have the best of conditions, especially if the Friday afternoon thunderstorms materialise, and I’d rather back Scheffler in play than from the outset.
Kim Could Rival Holder
If someone is to better Scheffler it could well be a man who is riding the crest of a wave in his personal life at the moment. Si Woo Kim collected a golf medal at the Asian Games in October last year to ensure he does not have to serve military service in his native South Korea. In addition, he became a father for the first time two weeks ago. Often a player who has got in his own way on the golf course, recent events may well serve to put golf into perspective and he is fancied to kick on in future and add to his four PGA Tour titles.
Kim is also a past winner of this event, having lifted the trophy here in 2017. Three further top 30 finishes, including a 9th place finish in 2021 all give cause for optimism and there is plenty to like about his suitability for this test. A morning tee time on Thursday gives him the best opportunity to get off to a fast start.
Recent form has also been solid, with the world number 35 yet to finish worse than 44th in any of the seven starts he has made in 2024. Kim’s tee to green stats have been strong in each of those seven starts and it didn’t go unnoticed that he ranked 4th SG: Tee to Green in last week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational.
The negative attached to Kim is his putting and it can’t be ignored that his performance on the greens last week at Bay Hill was his worst in almost nine months. However, a return to the scene of his biggest ever career win may well be just the tonic he needs and he is my Players Championship tip at 46.00 with bet365. It should also be noted that Kim can be backed at 41.00 with bet365 in the ‘Without Scheffler’ market, if you wish to take a more cautious approach.
Outside the outright market, Martin Laird to beat Robert MacIntyre in the Top Scot market looks to be the pick of the prices. Laird has seemingly found something in his game the past few weeks, posting a couple of top ten finishes and has bettered MacIntyre in each of the last three occasions they have teed it up together. Priced up as the outsider in this two man contest, Laird has a couple of top five finishes in this event whilst MacIntyre missed the cut in his only appearance at TPC Sawgrass. Back Laird at 2.00 with bet365 to be Top Scot.
- Selection: Si Woo Kim EW (1/5 1-8)
- Best Odds: 46.00 (bet365)
- Stakes: 1/10
Odds via bet365 as at 22.55 March 11th 2024. Odds may now differ.
