Niall Lyons shares his golf betting tips and preview for the Players Championship.
The Players Championship
We ramp up the tension and drama once again as the tour rolls into Ponte Vedra and the magnificent TPC Sawgrass. We have been treated to some special finishes lately and last weekend was one of the best in recent history almost depicting a DPWT Sunday where many have the chance to take the title but let it slip from their fingers in the final holes.
Spieth will be the one licking his wounds the most with short putts missed throughout the final handful of holes. A similar game is once again needed this week with an emphasis on approach play and specifically from inside 150 yards. Winners and contenders here down the years can't be pigeon holed into any specific brackets so as always it is a difficult field to narrow down a list of potential winners.
Tom Kim at 40/1 (Eight Places)
Tom Kim has performed reasonably well in the ball striking department in recent weeks without making any ground on the greens and if his long game continues in that fashion I don't believe it'll be too long before he is back at the top of the leaderboards where he firmly belongs.
Kim is one of the brightest prospects we have seen for a few years and I fully expect his incredible run to continue and that he will land another tournament soon enough. Sawgrass is a venue that grants Kim a little grace from the tee as he certainly isn't one of the longest in the game.
Plenty of approaches are hit between 100-150 yards which is where he excels so despite this being his debut at this event I fully expect him to take comfortably to the course. The heat of battle that Sawgrass produces should be right up his street also as we know the cauldron atmosphere suits him and he showed at the Presidents Cup that he is more than capable of holding his own among the best in the game.
He ranked 3rd in approach on his final round at Bayhill and has the added benefit of having the man who carried the bag for 2015 winner here Rickie Fowler by his side.
2pts each-way T.Kim 40/1 (1/5 8)
Collin Morikawa at 25/1 (12 Places)
Collin Morikawa missed the cut on the number last week having a poor week off the tee where he didn't find his usual accuracy. No gains on the greens either made it a difficult week for him to make his mark but there is the possibility that missing that gruelling test over the weekend and coming in a little fresher may play to his advantage.
2nd at the Sentry and 3rd at the Farmers this year so far certainly shows Morikawa can't be far away from producing some of his best stuff and a good week on the greens may make all the difference. He dominated in Hawaii for three and a half days before his short game absolutely collapsed and allowed Jon Rahm to barge his way through the door.
It was a big blow but those questioning how he would bounce back from it didn't have long to wait with his 3rd place at Torrey a couple of weeks later. He remains a highly potent golfer capable of eclipsing any field and despite having not shown much here in a couple of appearances I can't help but feel this is a venue on which he has a serious chance of landing the title at some stage in his career.
Any time we can get him around the 25-28/1 mark on a suitable venue I'm prepared to wade in.
2pts each-way C.Morikawa 25/1 (1/5 12) Betfair Sportsbook
Sung-Jae Im at 33/1 (12 Places)
You don't need to be a bomber here to compete as results have shown but long and straight driving certainly helps and one of the best in that bracket I'm prepared to give a go this week is SungJae Im. There is no doubt the Korean hasn't quite been at his best lately but a poor putter cost him at the Honda and all parts of his game were back in working order last week at Bayhill.
He has already won in Florida and I suspect this state is one of the more likelier places where he will land his next title. 4th at Torrey and 6th at Scottsdale mean Sungjae can't be too far away and although his iron play has dipped a little in recent weeks I don't expect that to continue for much longer.
He was 17th here back in 2021, an effort which included a 3rd round of 77 which put him out of the running. Two 66s either side of the 77 showed what he is capable of though and he looks one to side with at the odds considering there is little to separate those at the top.
2pts each-way S.Im 33/1 (1/5 12) Betfair Sportsbook
Sahith Theegala at 70/1 (Seven Places)
Many of the games great have won this early on in their career and it'd be a remarkable week should Sahith Theegala manage his maiden victory in one of the most prestigious championships. I believe his chances are high this week and I see little reason why he has drifted from around the 50s mark last week to 70/1 and beyond this week.
He played well throughout the bag last week at Bay Hill finishing 14th which adds to his impressive run already this season with top 6s in two of his last four at the Genesis and Farmers. There is no doubt he is one of the most consistent sorts on tour and it is surely only a matter of time before he translates that form into a victory.
His wedges are in great shape, especially from 100-150 yards where you need to be this week. Two runner up finishes on tour to date in just over 12 months Theegala has been a nearly man, but he shows no signs of slowing down and he clearly belongs with the big boys.
1pt each-way S.Theegala 70/1 (1/5 7) Unibet
Corey Conners at 66/1 (Seven Places)
I mentioned Corey Conners in the Bayhill preview last week and my reluctance to get involved with him often simply due to the fact his ball striking prowess doesn't translate into as many wins as it should. That is largely down to a putter than he finds it difficult to separate himself from the field with.
That was the case once again at Bay Hill where he ranked 15th OTT, 15th on Approach and lowly 43rd on the greens. Bar the week at Riviera his irons have been in sparkling form as is the norm for Conners who is simply looking for a decent week on the greens to make his mark.
His form here has been solid with three made cuts from three efforts and one finish inside the top 10. Conners has only missed one cut in the last nine months which is a testament to how consistent he is. A glance down the winners rota here reveals names such as Simpson, Kuchar, Tim Clark, Stenson, Funk who all made their gains from tee to green without hitting it too far.
There aren't many in the game now who fit that bill but Conners is certainly one whose name would suit the roll call of winners here.
1pt each-way C.Conners 66/1 (1/5 7) Unibet, Bet UK
Adam Svensson at 175/1 (12 Places)
Adam Svensson went off a 33/1 shot just a few starts ago at the Honda and although this field is night and day compared to that he looks capable of landing a blow at big odds. After a poor 2019 the Canadian returned to the Korn Ferry Tour where he won twice in 2021 and looked much better equipped at his second attempt on the main stage.
In November of last year his moment arrived when landing the RSM Classic with a solid tee to green display and an excellent putter. 9th at the Genesis a few starts ago showed what he is capable of even in a stronger field.
His ball striking game is solid without being near the top but on his day he can comfortably hold his own. The big weapon that can make the difference between him and the field is the putter and should that club perform to how it can for him he could give us a real good spin at 200/1+.
1pt each-way A.Svensson 175/1 (1/5 12) Betfair Sportsbook
