Players Championship Betting 2025: Could this 66/1 Ryder Cup hero conquer Sawgrass?

The Players Championship has been won by some heavy hitters in recent years: Scottie Scheffler, Cameron Smith, Justin Thomas and Rory McIlroy.

At the biggest PGA Tour events and even the majors, it is hard to look away from the top names in the betting. They are the top names because they peak and play under pressure at the top events.

Scheffler won the Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass for the second time in a row in 2024, something no player had ever done. This would suggest the biggest figures can’t guarantee sustained dominance, but they are on the winner’s boards of PGA Tour HQ: Mickelson, Woods, Price, Norman, Nicklaus, and Trevino.

I have five selections again, one that might not surprise you but also a couple that might lead you to accuse me of European bias. The Stadium Course is a big ballpark. Of course, putting is crucial at every tournament, but accuracy is vital and finding fairways is crucial to giving yourself access to those tricky Florida greens.

Let’s take a look at my selections for the 2025 Players Championship.

The Players Championship golf betting tips

Venue: TPC Sawgrass, Ponte Vedra, Florida, United States
Date: March 13-16, 2025
Course stats: Par 72, 7,189 yards
Defending champion: Scottie Scheffler (-20)

Here is what the bookies think: https://betway.com/en/sports/cat/golf 

ALSO: What are The Players Championship playoff rules?

ALSO: How much? Here’s the Players Championship prize money in 2025

Players Championship Betting 2025

Scottie Scheffler @ 9/2 (January price, now 5/1)

If Scottie Scheffler could become the first player to successfully defend his Players Championship title, there is no reason to suggest he can’t win it three times in a row. He won at walking pace in 2023 and in dramatic fashion in 2024.

He is obviously a winning machine. He won nine times in 2024 which included a second Masters victory and the Olympic Gold Medal. His start to the 2025 season was delayed after he hurt his hand making ravioli on Christmas Day, but he returned to top-10 at Pebble Beach, Torrey Pines and came tied for 11th at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

At Bay Hill, he was 93rd in strokes gained in putting and he still almost came in the top 10. Once his putter becomes hot, he will be a dangerous prospect.

Once again, he didn’t exactly excel in putting last year on the Stadium Course. He only gained 0.37 strokes in this department, but he almost gained two strokes on the field off the tee and approaching the greens. This has always been his strength and a key component in each of his wins so far in his PGA Tour career.

He had a tough start to his Players career. He missed the cut in 2021 and came tied for 55th in 2022. These issues were put to bed in 2023 and 2024. His driving was arguably the most impressive part of his game in March last year, and he will no doubt have plenty more birdie opportunities in 2025.

Justin Thomas @ 16/1 (January price, now 20/1)

Justin Thomas’ recent record at the Players Championship isn’t great, but this is symptomatic of his general play on the tour in recent years. But after missing out on the FedEx Cup Playoffs in 2023 and the US Presidents Cup team in 2024, he came out of the blocks in 2025 with a runner-up at the American Express.

He also came tied for sixth at the Phoenix Open and tied for ninth at the Genesis Invitational. The two-time major champion has made a solid start to the 2025 season.

He won the Players in 2021 and even when missing the cut at Sawgrass in 2024, he still gained over two strokes on the field in approaching the green. He lost well over a stroke in putting which will need to improve in 2025 if he is to conquer the Stadium Course again.

Former champions must be respected and certainly ones who seem to be a little more resurgent. He came second at the ZOZO Championship in 2024, made five other top-10s and returned to East Lake for the Tour Championship where he came tied for 14th.

Driving was Thomas’ biggest issue in 2024. He ranked poorly in distance and strokes gained off the tee, but at the Hero World Challenge at the end of 2024, Thomas added an inch and a half to his driver which equated to another eight to 15 yards in length. He gained nearly a shot off the tee at the American Express at the start of the season and his approach play has been statistically superb in 2025 so far. If he can address a part of his game that is so weak, he could have a very good week at TPC Sawgrass.

ALSO: Quiz: Winners of The Players Championship

ALSO: What are the perks of winning The Players Championship?

Tommy Fleetwood @ 33/1

Tommy Fleetwood has a very solid record at the Players Championship. He has only missed one cut in eight tries and he came tied for seventh in 2018 and tied for fifth in 2019 when McIlroy won. He has also shot 65 on two different occasions at the Stadium Course.

He also shot a 66 in the opening round of the 2022 Players Championship. He has been statistically sound at this venue and a disappointing 76 in the final round of the 2023 tournament, in which he nearly lost four shots to the field, denied him another great finish.

In true Tommy fashion, he made the top 25 in more than half of his PGA Tour appearances in 2024. He came tied for third at the Masters and he won the silver medal at the Olympic Games. He has long been on the verge of winning for the first time on the PGA Tour without getting over the line.

He was ranked 11th in driving accuracy on the PGA Tour in 2024 and was numerically consistent in strokes gained in total. His short game has always been superb, but perhaps the putts just need to drop at the right time for Fleetwood to get his crowning moment in the States.

So far in 2025, he has come tied for 22nd at Pebble Beach, tied for fifth at Torrey Pines and tied for 11th at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. He is being his consistent self.

Shane Lowry @ 66/1 (January price, now 40/1)

Like his European Ryder Cup teammate, Shane Lowry has a very respectable record at the Players Championship in recent years. His last three finishes read T19, T35 and T13. He also came outright eighth in 2021, so there is plenty of value in his price of 66/1 in my opinion.

He shot a final-round score of 66 in 2024 and an opening-round score of 65 in 2016. He can go low at the Stadium Course and he can certainly play in the wind when conditions get tough. Who could forget his hole-in-one at the 2022 Players on the 17th hole, the event that was taken into the Monday by bad weather?

Lowry was in the top 25 in more than half of his starts on the PGA Tour in 2024 and he also made seven top-10s. He came third at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, tied for sixth at the PGA Championship and outright sixth at The Open Championship. As a major champion anyway, we know Lowry is a big game player.

Lowry made a great start to the 2025 season, coming second to Rory McIlroy at Pebble Beach and outright seventh at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

Lowry has been on the cusp of adding to his PGA Tour tally in the last few years. A victory could be on the tip of his tongue. He came tied for third at the Masters in 2022 and in the same year, he came tied for third at the RBC Heritage and second at the Honda Classic. To me, his form has somewhat been building towards another big win.

NCG Golf Podcast Tip: Brian Harman @ 100/1

“The Players Championship requires an excellent iron player,” Steve Carroll told the NCG Golf Podcast. “I don’t think anyone’s arguing that he’s a tremendous iron player. But if you look at his Sawgrass stats, he was eighth there in 2015, he was eighth in 2019, he was third in 2021, and he was tied second there last year.

“In amongst all of that, there is some dross, 44th, 63rd, 53rd, 54th, but that’s why he’s 100/1. He’s good some years there, and he’s indifferent other years and his form this year is all right without being spectacular. Tied for 25th at Phoenix, tied for 17th at the Genesis, and tied for 32nd at the Cognizant. It’s steady without being spectacular, but that’s often how I think of Brian Harman as a player.

“He’s steady without being spectacular, and then comes in and does something amazing (like winning the 2023 Open Championship). At 100/1, paying six places at the moment at a fifth of the odds, then I think it’s probably worth a pound.”

Listen to our Players Championship Preview podcast HERE.

NOW READ: US Open Betting 2025: Who wins at Oakmont?

NOW READ: PGA Championship Betting 2025: Who will win at Quail Hollow?

NOW READ: The Open Betting Tips 2025: Who will conquer Portrush?

NOW READ: The Masters betting 2025: Will Jon Rahm return to Augusta Glory?

Happy with our Players Championship betting tips? Which other players would you add to this Players Championship betting tips list? Tell us on X!