Picks, Predictions, Fields, Odds at the 2023 Players Championship: Fading Golf Expert Justin Thomas at TPC Sawgrass
The PGA Tour’s showcase event kicks off Thursday at TPC Sawgrass and the world’s best golfers take on another challenge at the 2023 Players Championship. Most of the top players are in style. perfect, but world No. 1 Jon Rahm barely broke into the top 40 at Bay Hill last week. Second place Scottie Scheffler and third place Rory McIlroy finished in the top five, so the battle for top spot will continue to be fierce in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. The record $25 million, iconic venue, and status of the Players Championship as “main fifth” yielded another loaded field. It includes the likes of Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth, Collin Morikawa and Patrick Cantlay. Defending champion Cameron Smith, who currently plays for LIV Golf, will not participate, but 43 of the world’s top 50 golfers will.
Caesars Sportsbook lists Rahm and McIlroy as 17-2 co-favorites, and Scheffler as 10-1 in the latest odds of the 2023 Players Championship. Other top contenders in the Championship field 2023 player opponents include Cantlay (19-1), Thomas (19-1) and Max Homa (19-1). Next in line are Xander Schauffele (25-1), Viktor Hovland (27-1) and Morikawa (28-1), with Spieth (32-1) right behind. Before making any selections in the 2023 Player Championship, make sure you See PGA Tour predictions and best bets from SportsLine golf insider Patrick McDonald.
After stints at FanSided and NBC Sports EDGE, McDonald joined CBS Sports as a golf writer in the spring of 2022. Now covering the sport from a broader perspective, McDonald’s still likes to dip his toes into weekly betting groups on the PGA Tournament. McDonald’s takes a deliberate approach to its outright options and is having a profitable 2022-2023 season. He has rallied nearly 19 units this season, which translates to a profit of more than $1,900 for those who bet $100.
McDonald’s nailed it at the Farmers’ Insurance Open, endorsing Homa (25-1) as his top pick. The expert also just missed a bold 130-1 score at the Sony Open when Hayden Buckley finished as runner-up. He hit another 25-1 hit at the Houston Open, knocking out Tony Finau to win. The professional ended the 2021-22 season with 42 units of his total, including a 250-1 monster payout to Hudson Swafford at The American Express. Anyone who follows McDonald’s advice benefits.
Now, McDonald’s has researched the field of the 2023 Players Championship and has closed the best bets, top oversleepers and favorites to avoid. You can visit SportsLine now to see all McDonald’s PGA picks and analysis.
The 2023 Players Championship’s Top Picks
A shocking pick from McDonald’s: He doesn’t believe Thomas should be among the favorites here and is overshadowing the two-time major champion. This is despite the fact that Thomas won the event in 2021. “He is the shell of himself in 2021,” said the pundit, noting the 29-year-old’s problems with approach. and around the green area. His short game worked in his favor, but Thomas ranked 76th in average, 74th in approach shots and 113th in placings. He also has one top 10 finish out of five top 25 finishes in his six events this season. He was 33rd here last year.
The expert, on the other hand, is eager to see how Rahm recovers from the weekend’s explosion in Bay Hill. The Spaniard opened with 65 before a row of 76 pushed him down the standings, where he finished in 39th place. Rahm nevertheless led the tournament in points average and totals. the number of strokes achieved and ranked third in the number of strokes under the rules. He is seventh in terms of strokes achieved. The 28-year-old has had five wins around the world since October, and last week’s results were the first time he’s been outside the top 10 all season. He finished in the top 10 at Sawgrass in 2021. See who he’s supporting at SportsLine.
How to make golf picks at the 2023 Players Championship
McDonald’s has closed its best bets for the 2023 Players’ Championship and has marked several long shots, including two that came in over 30-1. One of these golfers continued to find form and “shine” last week at Bay Hill. You can only view selections at SportsLine.
So which players should you target or avoid at the 2023 Players Championship? And which golfer in the 2023 Players Championship field can bring in a hefty payday of around 40-1? Check out the odds below, then visit SportsLine to see Patrick McDonald’s top picks for the 2023 Players Championship, all from the pro who earned nearly $1,900 on his PGA Tour picks this season.
2023 Player Championship odds, field, top contenders
See McDonald’s picks, best bets and predictions here.
Jon Rahm +850
Rory McIlroy +850
Scottie Scheffler +1000
Patrick Cantlay +1900
Maximum Homa +1900
Justin Thomas +1900
Xander Schauffele +2500
Viktor Hovland +2700
Tony Finau +2800
Collin Morikawa +2800
Will Zalatoris +3200
Jordan Spieth +3200
Matt Fitzpatrick +3400
Tyrrell Hatton +3400
Young Cameron +3600
Jason Day +3600
Sungjae Im +3700
Joohyung Kim +4100
Shane Lowry +4800
Keegan Bradley +5000
Rickie Fowler +5000
Keith Mitchell +5500
Corey Conners +6500
Si Woo Kim +7000
Sam Burns +7000
Sahith Theegala +7000
Chris Kirk +7500
Tommy Fleetwood +8500
Hideki Matsuyama +8500
Kurt Kitayama +9000
Justin Rose +10000
Adam Scott +10000
Tom Hoge +10000
Francesco Molinari +10000
Harris English +10000
Webb Simpson +14000
Aaron Wise +14000
Brian Harman +15000
Wyndham Clark +15000
Seamus Strength +15000
Russell Henley +15000
Gary Woodland +17000
Alex Noren +17000
Billy Horschel +18000
Ryan Fox +18000
Davis Riley +18000
Taylor Montgomery +18000
Sepp Straka +19000
Adam Hadwin +19000
Min Woo Lee +19000
Maverick McNealy +21000
Patton Kizzire +21000
Justin Suh +21000
Taylor Pendrith +22000
KH Lee +23000
Lucas Herbert +23000
Daniel Willett +23000
