5 Dark Horses who could win THE PLAYERS Championship in 2024
The change of the calendar to March signifies two things, golf is about one month away from the official beginning of major championship season, and the crown jewel of the PGA Tour, THE PLAYERS Championship has arrived.
The 50th playing of THE PLAYERS Championship is about to get underway and with it the biggest event on the golfing schedule to date.TPC Sawgrass' Stadium Course is prepped and ready to host the PGA Tour's biggest stars as they compete for the biggest prize outside the four majors this year.
Following a run of Top 5s in 2024 and his trials and tribulations on the greens, Scottie Scheffler finally broke through last week in emphatic fashion, winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill for the second time. Now, the World No.1 returns to THE PLAYERS Championship in search of history, the Texan will look to become the first player in the history of this prestigious event to win in back-to-back years following his triumphant victory at TPC Sawgrass last March.
Understandably, the world's top-ranked golfer is a substantial favorite to win THE PLAYERS for the second year running. The 2022 Masters champion has finished outside of the Top 10 on a leaderboard just one time in six starts so far this season.
Rory McIlroy returns to TPC Sawgrass this week in search of his first win in the United States this year, the four-time major winner has already entered the winner's circle in 2024, however, winning the Hero Dubai Desert Classic on the DP World Tour in January.
The Northern Irishman is still looking for his first Top 10 finish on the PGA Tour this year, but the 2019 PLAYERS Champion will return to TPC Sawgrass this week amongst the favorites. With a win this week, Rory would join a group of six other players to have won this famous event on multiple occasions.
THE PLAYERS Championship has had a history of throwing out some dark horse winners, so while the aforementioned Scheffler and McIlroy are deserved favorites this week, it would not be a complete shock if another long-shot winner were to emerge from the pack come Sunday evening.
While the task at hand may seem daunting for potential dark horse winners this week, it is certainly not impossible. In the last ten years alone at THE PLAYERS, there have been four winners who entered the week prior to their win with odds beyond +5000, including two that came in with triple-digit odds prior to their triumph at TPC Sawgrass.
Can another dark horse winner emerge this time around? Here is a look at 5 potential dark horses who could win the 50th edition of THE PLAYERS Championship.
Note: All listed odds are courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook. Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. For more betting content for all sports, check out BetSided.
THE PLAYERS Championship Favorites
- Scottie Scheffler +550
- Rory McIlroy +1200
- Xander Schauffele +1800
- Viktor Hovland +2200
- Justin Thomas +2200
- Max Homa +2500
- Patrick Cantlay +2500
- Collin Morikawa +2800
- Will Zalatoris +3000