The excitement level is ramped up a notch on the PGA Tour this week as we reach Florida and the iconic Sawgrass course. A fans favourite no doubt and although quite rightly not a 5th Major, certainly plays like one. This is one of the toughest events to win of the season. You'll need nerves of steel and a ton of luck if you want to lift that Crystal on Sunday evening. We've had liquorice allsorts of winners here down the years and there is no way of telling which type of golfer really suits the place. We will drill down into some of the more important stats later but there's no doubting it's one of the harder events to pick a winner in also as we've had guys like Ames and Perks win to the likes of Phil and Tiger. Very few can be dismissed and that's what makes it one of the most exciting weeks of the season.

Proximity to the hole is an important stat here and one I always look to when picking my selections for Sawgrass. It was one of the handful of reasons why I landed on Simpson last year and fingers crossed it serves us well again this term. The switch from May to March will prove significant as maybe the rough hasn't had the same time to grow but conditions will be colder which will no doubt make scoring more difficult. 

From the top of the market Brooks Koepka and Jon Rahm appeal most to me simply because of the talent the possess to tear this place apart at some stage. Taking 25/1 and 28/1 about the pair will no doubt pay positive dividends if obtaining those prices over the next ten years as at least one, if not both will win this at some stage in their career. McIlroy will slip the field in some event soon also it appears and not have to fight on the Sunday like he has had to do over the past two years. 12/1 isn't enough to tempt me though and maybe best considered when we get a few pts higher than that.

6 golfers make up the strings to punting bow this week and we'll start with a flusher in MARC LEISHMAN (best price 55-1). With three wins on the PGA tour in the past two years Leishman has established himself as a very decent closer to events and given he now has the Arnold Palmer and a Fedex Playoff event on his CV must be considered for majors and this event at Sawgrass. He strikes me as one who when hot has a sensational iron game which is needed here to find the right levels on the greens. Ranking 35th on the Tour in Proximity to the hole is a lot better than average so another tick goes against his name. Add a win at another Dye layout, TPC River Highlands which holds the Travelers and we have a perfect recipe to lift that new trophy come Sunday evening.

1pt each-way M.Leishman 50/1 (1/5 10)

Marc Leishman - 1pt e/w @ 55/1

Previous form at Sawgrass is another pre-requisite for most challengers this week and with two top 20s posted before RUSSELL KNOX (best price 160-1) must be considered as a potential contender. Crucially for me, he ranks inside the top 10 in the proximity stat but a lot more point towards the Scot playing well here. You have to go back five months to his last missed cut with top 20s arriving at Phoenix and Pebble Beach. He is a WGC Champion, an Irish Open Champion and won the Travelers just like Leishman. He has posted a 2nd and 3rd at the Honda here in the same state Florida, a 2nd at Harbour Town (Dye) and a 2nd and 3rd at Mayakoba where no doubt a similar game is rewarded to that at Sawgrass. He looks a tasty proposition at 150/1.

1pt each-way R.Knox 125/1 (1/5 10)

Russell Knox - 1pt e/w @ 160/1

LUCAS GLOVER (best price 66-1) ticks many boxes this week and despite being underpriced in my eyes most of the year round, I was surprised to see 66/1 chalked up about the in-form ex-US Open champ. I've always been of the opinion that the tough US Open that he won has somewhat overrated him in many peoples view. With no win in 8 years that stacks up but there's no doubt he is in the throws of some of the best form of his career. He has only once been outside the top 20 in his last 9 PGA Tour events with form figures which read 17-14-7-11-12-MC-7-4-10. This is a remarkable run of figures and not many in the field can trump this current run. He plays the tougher courses well as is evident with his win and runner up finish at Quail Hollow. 3rd and 6th are his best efforts here at Sawgrass and sits 12th in the proximity standings. Certainly not an each-way bet to be refused this week.

1pt each-way L.Glover  66/1 (1/5 7)

Lucas Glover - 1pt e/w @ 66/1

RYAN PALMER (best price 200-1) is another who sits inside the top 20 in my go-to stat this week and is another who I expect to go well at big prices this week. His back door tied 4th finish at the Honda wasn't unexpected. At the end of last year, he recorded a top 5 in the Northern Trust before posting a 3rd at Nine bridges and 7th at the Shriners. 13th at Torrey Pines was another solid effort for Palmer who should be quietly confident of going well here. 5th here in 2013 and two top 25s in his past 3 appearances here suggest he has the tools to contend here again. With some fine form of late, his neat game should translate well here and another three-figure price to write on the betting slip.

0.75pt each-way R.Palmer  200/1 (1/5 7)

Ryan Palmer - 0.75pts e/w @ 200/1

Despite not being convinced whatsoever he can win an event of this stature I'll be having a few quid each-way on CHESSON HADLEY (best price 200-1) this week. He comes here off the back two top 20s at the Honda and Arnold Palmer. That is impressive going and given he finished 24th here four years ago and 11th just last year he has plenty of positives. Wind back to 2013 and he won the web.com Tour Championship here at the Valley Course at Sawgrass so he has clearly continued those good vibes here. Guess what? He also ranks first in proximity this season so he just has to be punted this week at 175/1.

0.75pt each-way C.Hadley  175/1 (1/5 10)

Chesson Hadley - 0.75pts e/w @ 200/1

Finally I think AARON BADDELEY (best price 250-1) is worth a small bet. Rewind back ten years or so ago when his game was in fine shape he posted two top tens here at Sawgrass. A win and a runner up finish at Harbour Town is another boost to his chances here. More than that though I was impressed by how he played last week at Bayhill posting a top 20 having finished 2nd in Puerto Rico a few weeks before that. 4th at the Safeway and a top 20 at the Desert Classic are more signs that the Australian is coming back to some kind of form which seen him post those finishes here a while back. That performance at the Desert Classic included a 68 and 65 as his two rounds at the Dye Stadium course. Charl Schwartzel was the next man on my list to be left off. Playing decent stuff and 2nd here last year he could perform well again. Matsuyama isn't doing an awful lot wrong and with a good record here should be there or thereabouts come the weekend. Enjoy Cheltenham if you're playing and best of luck!

0.75pt each-way A.Baddeley  250/1 (1/5 8)

Aaron Baddeley - 0.75pts e/w @ 250/1