Players Championship: 5 bets for PGA TOUR's flagship event

It's Players Championship week, one of the highlights of the annual golf calendar.

The best field the PGA TOUR can offer heads to TPC Sawgrass to compete for the circuit's most prestigious title, which comes with a whopping $4.5-million winner's check.

Scottie Scheffler is a two-time Players champion and the heavy favorite at theScore Bet. Scheffler is +400 to win his third title in the last five years ahead of reigning champion Rory McIlroy, who's at +1400 due to concerns about a back injury that forced him to withdraw last week.

Tournament winner odds

⛳️ See all of the Players Championship markets available at theScore Bet here

Ludvig Aberg

🏌 Bet: To win outright (+2200)

I'm passing on Scheffler and McIlroy at their prices and starting my betting card with Aberg, who is fresh off his best result of the season at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. I backed him last week at Bay Hill, and he finished in a tie for third thanks to ranking second in the field in strokes gained: tee to green while posting the second-lowest score Sunday.

Aberg is trending toward a victory, and the Players Championship feels like the perfect breakout spot for a younger golfer who's yet to win a tournament of this caliber. He placed eighth in his tournament debut two years ago, which addresses any concerns about course fit.

Cameron Young

🏌 Bet: To win outright (+3000)

Young continually shows up in the strongest tournaments at the toughest courses. That's exactly what's on deck this week, and he's in great form.

You could argue Young was the best player on the American Ryder Cup team last September, and he just tied for third at Bay Hill, where he gained 7.6 strokes off the tee. Before that, he placed T7 at the Genesis Invitational. Hitting it long and straight is a huge advantage at TPC Sawgrass - once viewed as a short-hitter's course, it's been lengthened to give the longer hitters an edge. Young is one of the best ball-strikers in the field and, like Aberg, is due to win a big one.

Daniel Berger

🏌 Bet: To win outright (+5000)

Berger suffered a crushing loss to Akshay Bhatia in a playoff last week, but he was too good for 72 holes to ignore at this price. He led the field in strokes gained: tee to green at Bay Hill and didn't even play poorly in the final round. Berger is as fiery a competitor as you'll find on the PGA TOUR, and I expect him to rebound well at a course that he likes.

He's played in eight Players Championships in his career, recording two top-10 finishes and three consecutive top-20 results. His finishes at the event have drastically improved since the tournament moved from May to March.

Ryo Hisatsune

🏌 Bet: Top-20 finish (+400)

Hisatsune has quietly been one of the better players on the PGA TOUR this season. He's 23rd in strokes gained: total, he was a runner-up at the Farmers Insurance Open, and he's got two other top-10s this season. The 23-year-old has gained strokes tee to green in every start this year but still isn't getting respect in the betting market. His +400 price to finish inside the top 20 is a steal.

Nico Echavarria

🏌 Bet: Top-20 finish (+400)

Echavarria won two weeks ago at a very demanding Florida course with a lot of water on the closing holes. Sound familiar? The Colombian may not have the best track record at TPC Sawgrass, but he's never played it with the kind of confidence he has right now. Many worse golfers than Echavarria have the same odds, making him a valuable bet to have a solid showing at +400.

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