PLAYERS Championship: Top 10 power rankings at TPC Sawgrass

TPC Sawgrass has plenty of quirks. One is that a golfer’s course history here isn’t quite as predictive as it is at other PGA Tour stops.

Sure, there are guys who have multiple Players Championship victories or those who have strung together some top-10s. As a whole, this event tends to be won by someone who’s on top of their game that particular week.

All sorts of players with varied skills and resumes have gone on to win in the tournament’s four-decade history.

To get to the point, this is why I think Patrick Reed will record his best Players finish this year.

It’s not too high of a bar to clear. In six starts, Reed has made four cuts but peaked with a T-22 in tough conditions in 2017 (72-73-74-69).

Tough conditions, as in the deserved level of scrutiny he’s received for his misdeeds on the golf course, only seem to fuel him.

Since the scene of the crime in the bunker at the Hero World Challenge, the 29-year-old finished runner up at the Tournament of Champions, T-6 at the Farmers Insurance Open and won the WGC-Mexico last month.

Despite an 80 last Saturday, Reed ground out a T-15 (70-70-80-71) at Bay Hill. He was the only player in the field with three rounds under par.

Reed is on pace for a career year with the flat stick. He sits third on Tour in strokes gained putting (1.093). His consistency has him at seventh in total strokes gained (1.868). The weakness has been off the tee, but he’s one of the best recovery players in the game.

This week presents Reed with the most media members and fans thus far in 2020. If he’s in contention, he’ll be even more under the microscope. But, as I alluded to before, that kind of drama may wind up working in his favor.