The 2023 Players Championship picks, predictions, odds, field: Shaggy golf insider Justin Thomas at TPC Sawgrass
The PGA Tour stars will shine again, but the iconic TPC Sawgrass will also have another moment in the sun this week at the 2023 Players Championship. Pete Dye Course in Ponte Vedra Beach , Fla. presents one of the most complete tests of the PGA Tour season. The 144 players in the field of the 2023 Player Championship will have to work to be the recipient of a record $4.5 million payout to the winner. Top-ranked Jon Rahm, Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy topped a course that featured 43 of the world’s top 50 golfers. Justin Thomas, the 2021 Players champion, and many other big winners Jordan Spieth and Collin Morikawa are also among those who will tee off on Thursday. Cameron Smith won last year by under-13, but he won’t be back to defend. Previous winners who will be present include McIlroy, Jason Day, Rickie Fowler and Adam Scott.
McIlroy won in 2019 and the world No 3 is the co-favorite 17-2 alongside Rahm in Caesars Sportsbook’s latest 2023 Tennis Championship odds. Scheffler placed second behind with a score of 10-1, with Thomas (19-1), Patrick Cantlay (19-1) and Max Homa (19-1) being the only ones to score less than 20-1. . Xander Schauffele (25-1), Viktor Hovland (27-1), Tony Finau (28-1) and Morikawa (28-1) are also favorites in the 2023 Players Championship field. 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 journalist in the spring of 2022. Right now, I’m covering the sport from a wide perspective. Instead, 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
Incredibly, McDonald’s is trailing Thomas, even though he’s the Most Recent Player winner in the field this week. Thomas is also a two-time major champion and former world No. 1, but McDonald’s says “he’s his own shell in 2021.” The 29-year-old is 76th on the tour in terms of scoring average this season. And while he’s finished 25th in five of his six appearances this season, only one has made it to the top 10. Thomas is 33rd at Sawgrass last year. Last year, and his win was one of only two top 10 finishes in eight tries, with the other coming back in 2016.
On the other hand, Rahm will be looking to bounce back from a rough week and hold onto the No. 1 spot he won three weeks ago. The Spaniard started things off with 65 last week at Bay Hill, but consecutive 76 rounds have sent him down the rankings. He finished in 39th place, breaking a six-point streak in the top 10 in a row. However, he still leads the league in points average and total strokes, and he had an all-around success at TPC Sawgrass. Rahm is 20th in total hits, third on regulatory greens and seventh in strokes reached. 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 a number of long shots, including two that came in more than 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 raked in 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
