The Players Championship Preview
TPC Sawgrass offers one of the most amazing holes in golf. The par 3 island green 17. This hole has provided some of the most riveting moments in golf. This week, the PGA tour returns to Pondra Vedra Beach, FL for the “5th major” of the year. The Players Championship. Kim Si-Woo of Korea looks to defend his crown in one of golf’s most competitive fields.
Odds
Dustin Johnson – 5-1
Rory McIlroy – 9-1
Jordan Spieth – 10-1
Rickie Fowler – 10-1
Justin Thomas – 11-1
Jon Rahm – 35-2
Jason Day – 20-1
Justin Rose – 25-1
(Photo Courtesy: Golf Monthly)
The Course
TPC Sawgrass is a 7,189-yard, par 72 designed by Pete Dye. The course offers some reachable par 5’s, short par 4’s, and some great scoring opportunities. However; we’re now seeing the new PGA tour schedule that puts the Players earlier in May which has created some higher scores. And even though it might only be 130 yards give or take, the famed island green at 17 is one of the hardest greens to hit in golf. And who can forget Tiger’s memorable putt in the 2001 Players Championship?
Favorites and Underdogs
Dustin Johnson has been rather quiet this year, but that’ll change this week. Dustin got off to a hot start today shooting a 66 -6 and is tied for the lead with fellow American Webb Simpson and Swede Alex Noren. Another favorite is Rickie Fowler. Rickie is always a threat at The Players Championship and plays the course nearly perfect but he does currently sit 6 off the lead right now after his even round today. Of course, the other big names like Rory, Jordan, Jason, and Sergio are also names to watch.
As for underdog, watch out for Italian Francisco Molinari. Coming off of three straight top 20 finishes on tour, he’s streaking in the right direction.
My Picks
5. Sergio Garcia
4. Francisco Molinari
3. Alex Noren
2. Rickie Fowler
1. Dustin Johnson
-Brian Berard (@RockyBerard)