10 March 2020, by: BET Contributor

2020 Players Championship Betting Preview – JT the main player

There are very few tournaments that can say “No Tiger, No problem” … sure, the organisers of The Players Championship would’ve loved Tiger Woods to tee it up at the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass, but once again, the 15-time Major champion is putting his Masters defence – and his bid to get ever closer to Jack Nicklaus’ Major tally of 18 – ahead of “normal” events. Except, for everyone else around the globe, there is nothing normal about the so-called fifth Major.

The Players – as always – commands one of the year’s strongest fields. So while Woods isn’t present, almost anyone who is anyone is. Rory McIlroy arrives as the defending champion and while he is in tremendous form, he has been unable to close out to add to his win count. Add his final round “struggles” to the fact that no one has defended this event, means the bookies favourite at 8.25-1 is overlooked in this preview.

The world number four continues to churn out the results and his game suits the course. Long off the tee and his incredibly high ball flight, allows him to take dead aim at tucked away pins. His precision into the greens and his ability as one of the best putters on tour makes him the number one choice to lift the crystal trophy on Sunday. At , he also offers great value.

DJ hasn’t played all that much and is not great form heading into the championship. But … Johnson has never really cared for form and numbers, he boasts a solid record at the venue – his scoring average is below 70 – and banked a top five last year. If the putter warms up, his odds will be plummeting for the weekend’s updates.

Schauffele is no longer under the radar but at , he presents a strong case for a good week. He has proven himself on the biggest stages and is a world-class player from tee to green. Runner-up here on debut two years ago, the X-Man has a built a reputation as a player who thrives at the biggest events. This week should be no different.

South Africa’s number one has been off-ish in his last few events but his form from the start of the decade should still hold through as he builds up to the year’s first Major. At , he stands out as the “best of the rest”, his form at Sawgrass offers a mixed bag but you can look to 2017 where a final round 73 scuppered his chance of victory. He ended T2 but there’s no reason why he can’t finally get over his winless streak on US soil. It all depends on his putter…

Rory Mcilroy –

John Rahm –

Tommy Fleetwood –

Brooks Koepka –

Jordan Spieth –

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