Round 2 at The PLAYERS Championship was suspended due to darkness, however, the leaderboard is mostly set for an exciting Round 3. TPC Sawgrass has been challenging and rewarding at times thus far, as Wyndham Clark dominated on Friday to jump into a four-stroke lead over the field at -14-under-par.
Plenty of big names remain near the top of the leaderboard though, including Xander Schauffele (T2/-10), Nick Taylor (T2/-10), Scottie Scheffler (T6/-8), Matt Fitzpatrick (T4/-9), and Rory McIlroy (T14/-6). Will someone go on a run from T20 or further to challenge Clark and the rest of these prospects in the outright betting market during Saturday and Sunday? Or will we see one of the favorites take the winning podium on Sunday during the 2024 PLAYERS Championship? Let’s find out below.
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2024 The PLAYERS Championship: Best Weekend Picks
These plays are .5u and .75u, or 0.5% and 0.75% of your betting bankroll. Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.
Wyndham Clark +175 (0.75u)
Wyndham Clark is a birdie machine. He’s been on fire during big events for most of his PGA Tour action in the past two seasons and isn’t slowing down at TPC Sawgrass. After going 7-under-par in Round 1, Clark buried eight more birdies, extending his lead by four strokes against the field.
He’s only logged two bogeys compared to 16 birdies thus far, and while the odds are short at +180, they will look much more enticing once they flip to minus odds, assuming Clark manufactures even half of the production he’s notched heading into Round 3 and Round 4. This is the rare moment where, despite tagging this as a 0.75 unit play, wagering a full unit is also recommended.
Nick Taylor +1400 (0.50u)
Nick Taylor won the WM Phoenix Open in a playoff last month and he hasn’t slowed down. The Canadian ball-striker has a nice combination of approach shots and putts, giving him a lot of different ways to fill his scorecard with birdies.
Taylor entered this event at +8000, so these odds obviously aren’t as lucrative, but oddsmakers appear to be sleeping on Taylor’s game. He’s ranked 20th SG: Approach and 19th SG: Putting, while still sitting available in FanDuel’s outright betting market at +1400.
Taylor may not be a household name yet like Scheffler, Schauffele, and McIlroy, but he’s well on his way in current form, so let’s stake half a unit on the Canadian to earn his first win at TPC Sawgrass and his second outright win in three events.
Sahith Theegala +5000 (0.50u)
Finally, we’re dipping our toes into the +5000 odds range and targeting Sahith Theegala. The Californian has struggled at TPC Sawgrass in the past, producing numbers that either missed the cut or kept him at the tail end of the post-cut field. Now, after going -5-under-par on Friday during Round 2, Theegala is positioned to make a run at his second outright win in a calendar year.
Ranked 31st for birdie average, 21st strokes gained putting, and 29th strokes gained off-the-tee, Theegala usually doesn’t find himself with too many errant lies. At a difficult course like TPC Sawgrass, filled with four-inch rough, water hazards, and sand, we’re wise to invest in a golfer with maximum upside and a hot flat stick on the greens.
We’re staking half a unit as our final play on Theegala at +5000 odds in the outright betting market on FanDuel Sportsbook.
Matthew MacKay is a featured writer for FantasyPros and BettingPros. For more from Matthew, check out his archive and follow him @Matt_MacKay_.
