The Players Championship betting tips: Outright
The Players Championship betting tips: Top selections
I’m going to forgive Brooks Koepka his missed cut at the Arnold Palmer and focus instead on his efforts at the Honda Classic.
Unlucky to get into a playoff, after Keith Mitchell drained a slider to win, his 66 signalled a player starting to peak as the season moves into a new gear.
He doesn’t have a great record at Bay Hill anyway and, in four appearances at Sawgrass, he’s improved every single year.
Eleventh 12 months ago, with the help of a final course record-tying 63, prices around 25/1 intrigue for a player who likes nothing more than triumphing on the big occasion.
But for a disastrous third round, Tommy Fleetwood could have been slipping on the red cardigan as Arnold Palmer Invitational champion.
The Englishman was imperious for the first two days before tumbling down the leaderboard with a 76. But the mark of a quality player is how they respond and Fleetwood’s 68 vaulted him into a tie for third.
That was his first PGA Tour top 10 since the HSBC Champions last October and, following a slowish start to the European Tour campaign, his return to form feels significant.
This will be Fleetwood’s third appearance at PGA Tour headquarters and he’s finished 41st and 7th in his two trips to date. At 28/1, I’d expect him to be on the premises come Sunday evening.
Also worthy of mention should be Francesco Molinari (22/1), who won in such superlative fashion at Bay Hill and has four top 10s at The Players since 2010, while Rory McIlroy (14/1) should be a place certainty if the last few weeks are any guide.
Winning, though, is another matter.
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Steve Carroll
A journalist for 25 years, Steve has been immersed in club golf for almost as long. A former club captain, he has passed the Level 3 Rules of Golf exam with distinction having attended the R&A's prestigious Tournament Administrators and Referees Seminar.
Steve has officiated at a host of high-profile tournaments, including Open Regional Qualifying, PGA Fourball Championship, English Men's Senior Amateur, and the North of England Amateur Championship. In 2023, he made his international debut as part of the team that refereed England vs Switzerland U16 girls.
A part of NCG's Top 100s panel, Steve has a particular love of links golf and is frantically trying to restore his single-figure handicap. He currently floats at around 11.
Steve plays at Close House, in Newcastle, and York GC, where he is a member of the club's matches and competitions committee and referees the annual 36-hole scratch York Rose Bowl.
Having studied history at Newcastle University, he became a journalist having passed his NTCJ exams at Darlington College of Technology.
What's in Steve's bag: TaylorMade Stealth 2 driver, 3-wood, and hybrids; TaylorMade Stealth 2 irons; TaylorMade Hi-Toe, Ping ChipR, Sik Putter.
