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Early Players Championship Picks & Odds 2025: Who'll Win at TPC Sawgrass?

Esten McLaren

Last Updated: February 10, 2025 9:42 AM EST • 3 min 10 sec read.

Rory McIlroy's featured in our 2025 Players Championship predictions.
Pictured: Rory McIlroy lines up a putt during The Players Championship. Photo by Jasen Vinlove via Imagn Images.

The Super Bowl is in the rearview mirror, and now the Players Championship is one of the first major sporting events on tap. We're making our best 2025 Players Championship picks to win at TPC Sawgrass.

There is a brief reprieve, as the tournament runs from March 13-16 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.

Scottie Scheffler has won this event in the past two years. Unsurprisingly, The Players Championship odds have him leading the way at +350. But, I'll dare to fade the favorite and look for longer odds in one of the strongest fields in golf. 

Players Championship outright picks

  • Players Championship favorite pick: Rory McIlroy to win (+900 via DraftKings) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
  • Players Championship contender pick: Hideki Matsuyama to win (+3000 via DraftKings) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
  • Players Championship long-shot pick: Sepp Straka to win (+5000 via DraftKings) ⭐⭐⭐

Our new player props odds tool can help you find the best odds on contender you wish to back!

Players Championship odds

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Players Championship odds analysis

  • Scheffler (+350) became the first player to ever win The Players Championship in back-to-back years last year
  • Ludvig Aberg (+2200) debuted in this event with an eighth-place finish last year and is now among the favorites
  • Hideki Matsuyama (+3000) has three finishes of T-8 or better at TPC Sawgrass in the past five years, playing four times in that span
  • Former U.S. Open champ Wyndham Clark (+5000) tied for second with Xander Schauffele (+850) last year but has inflated odds a month away from the tournament

Early picks to win the Players Championship

Players Championship favorite pick: Rory McIlroy

Best odds: +900 via DraftKings | Implied probability: 10%

McIlroy won The Players in 2019 but missed the cut in two of four appearances at TPC Sawgrass since. He's averaging 1.31 true strokes gained on the field per round across 45 career rounds at this venue.

He picked up his 27th career PGA Tour victory at Pebble Beach in January and remains second by the Masters odds as he'll chase the elusive career grand slam again. These odds could shorten with a win at the Arnold Palmer Invitational the week before this event.

Players Championship contender pick: Hideki Matsuyama

Best odds: +3000 via DraftKings | Implied probability: 3.23%

Matsuyama finished fifth and T-6 in this event in the last two years. He's played 33 career competitive rounds at TPC Sawgrass with an average of 2.40 true strokes gained on the field per round.

The former Masters champ already showed his top form this year, winning the season-opening Sentry by three strokes at 35-under. TPC Sawgrass is certainly a much more difficult golf course, but it has suited Matsuyama well in recent years, and he shouldn't be carrying odds this long after what we've already seen this year.

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Players Championship long-shot pick: Sepp Straka

Early Players Championship picks.
Pictured: Sepp Straka poses with his trophy on the 18th green of the Pete Dye Stadium Course. Photo by Andy Abeyta/The Desert Sun via Imagn Images.

Best odds: +5000 via DraftKings | Implied probability: 1.96%

Likewise, Straka has already found his top form this year. He claimed his fourth career PGA Tour win at The American Express, where he won by two strokes over Justin Thomas. Architect Pete Dye designed both TPC Sawgrass and the Stadium Course at PGA West where Straka won.

He's played this event each of the last four years. After missing the cut in his debut at TPC Sawgrass, he tied for ninth, for 65th, and for 16th last year.

We often see lesser-known golfers with inflated odds in this tournament due to the strength of the field, and bettors should capitalize on this 50-1 ticket for Straka.

Players Championship FAQs

Who is the favorite for the Players Championship?

Scottie Scheffler is the betting favorite to win The Players Championship with odds of +350 representing an implied win probability of 22.22%, according to our odds converter.

When is the Players Championship?

The 2025 Players Championship will be played from March 13-16.

Where is the Players Championship?

The Players Championship is held annually at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.

Who won the Players Championship last year?

Scottie Scheffler won The Players Championship each of the past two years. He had odds of +550 prior to Round 1 last year and was +1000 two years ago.

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Written By:
Esten McLaren
Esten is the Senior Publishing Editor for SportsbookReview.com. He has been in the sports betting industry since the legalization of mobile sports betting in New Jersey, and with SportsbookReview prior to the launch of sports betting in Ontario. Esten's previous stops include the USA TODAY network, including GolfWeek. He previously worked in the fantasy sports industry, with FNTSY Sports Network, theScore, and USA TODAY. Esten graduated from the College of Sports Media with a diploma in Radio and Television Sports Broadcasting after acquiring a degree in Biological Sciences from the University of Guelph. He has appeared on FNTSY Sports Network, VSiN, and VSiN's Long Shots podcast, where he correctly called Will Zalatoris as the winner of the 2022 FedEx St. Jude Championship. Esten is a big proponent of the entertainment side of sports betting and loves to dip his toes into the novelty and alt-markets while chasing long shots with reduced wagers on golf outrights and futures markets. He's also been known to sprinkle some lunch money on touchdown-scorer parlays with two notable hits still funding his bankroll. Esten looks at sports betting much like golf and advises beginner bettors to compete against themselves rather than being concerned with what others may or may not be doing based on social media claims.