We head down to TPC Sawgrass for the 50th edition of The Players Championship. You could argue that this is the most important event on Tour outside of the four majors. This course is one of the most enjoyable tournament venues every year. It presents unique challenges regardless of the conditions that the event is played in, while also having one of the most memorable and formidable closing stretches in all of golf. 16 is a great risk reward par 5, 17 is one of the most iconic par 3’s in all of golf, and 18 presents one of the most nerve racking closing tee shots with big numbers lurking if players are not careful. Scottie Scheffler is both the defending champion of this event, and also coming in off a dominant win at API in large part thanks to his improved putting. Now in the history of The Players Championship, there has never been a back to back winner. So will Scottie break the trend? Or is history bound to repeat itself this week? Let us dive into our picks and find out! Per usual we will be highlighting a player from the top, middle, and bottom of the odds board.
Will Zalatoris
If you haven’t read the sensational piece that Paola Uggetti put out recently on Zalatoris’ comeback to The PGA Tour, it is a must read. It is so good to have a player with the immense amount of talent that Zalatoris possesses back on Tour. It is a marvel the way he has been able to rebuild his swing after his back surgery. The biggest change for Zalatoris has been his putting this year. Often thought of as one of the shakiest putters on tour, his change to a broomstick has flipped that narrative quickly. He has gained strokes putting on the field in four of his five starts this year. With his elite ball striking and distance, straightening up his putting has led to some high level results. He is coming in off of T2 and T4 results in the last two signature events. None of what he is doing seems fluky. His rebuilt golf game feels immensely sustainable and that spells trouble for a lot of guys on Tour. I think the floor for Zalatoris this week is Top 5 finish and he is my pick to win.
Tom Hoge
Hoge had a frustrating 2023 campaign on tour relative to his expectations. He started off strong with 3rd place finishes at The Sentry TOC and The Players. He never again finished inside the top 10 that season in large part to some rather poor performances off the tee. His length had never been his strong suit but his accuracy started to get away from him and really put him in some tough spots. This year Hoge has straightened out the driver some, but his real driving factor to his success this season has been his iron play and putting. When you combine hitting it really close, with rolling the rock exceptionally well, you are going to see some great results. Hoge has finished in the top 12 in the last three signature events he has played in this season. Combine that with his 3rd place result last year and I like his chances this week to put on a great performance. Look for Hoge to finish in the top 10 this week
Chan Kim
One of the Korn Ferry Tour graduates from last year, Chan Kim has had a solid start to his 2024 PGA Tour season. He has made the cut in four of his six starts this year and grabbed a T8 at The Mexico Open. Yes I am aware that The Players is much different than The Mexico Open. However, he has shown enough consistency in his game that I don’t think that he will be overwhelmed by the situations he is faced with at TPC Sawgrass. I don’t have outrageously high expectations for Chan this week, but I do think that he will finish in the top 20 this week, which would be an awesome result for him.