Niall Lyons has five to follow in the 2026 Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass, Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.
The Players Championship
The Players Championship will be held at TPC Sawgrass, Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.
Sawgrass is ingrained in all of our minds whether it be from watching this since a child, or religiously playing the back 9 on gaming consoles.
The 17th will provide plenty of drama and a little breeze there can cause absolute carnage. Narrowing down the list of potential winners here is never easy as down the years we've had the plodding type winners of Ames, Clark, Choi, Funk and Simpson compared to the more swash buckling styles of Mickelson, Scheffler, McIlroy, Day and Thomas.
There have been little in the way of surprises either with only two of the last ten winners not having previously won a major or gone onto win one. Even the runner up last year JJ Spaun went on to win the US Open shortly after.
That gives a strong profile of the types of golfers who can win here and narrowing the list down to players who have won in similar strength fields, or even Majors may prove beneficial. Last year neither driving distance nor accuracy played a huge part in the result. Driving distance was an advantage two years ago with four of the top 5 ranking inside the top 15 in that statistic.
Scheffler led the field in driving distance when winning in 2023 but none of the other top 5 were inside the top 30 in the same stat. None of the top 4 in 2022 made it inside the top 20 in driving distance whilst 11th in DD was the best in the top 5 the year before.
Despite the water that awaits errant drives here driving accuracy has played little importance in the outcome of the tournament either although Scheffler topped that stat in 2024.
Proximity with the irons from 100-150 yards looks like an area where we could narrow the field and those not performing in that distance will have trouble scoring around here.
The Players Championship Winner Stats
The Players Championship 2026 Tips
2pts each-way M.Fitzpatrick 40/1 (1/5 8) Bet365, Paddypower, Skybet
1.25pts each-way J.Spieth 55/1 (1/5 8) Bet365
2pts each-way V.Hovland 35/1 (1/5 8) General
1.25pts each-way M.McNealy 50/1 (1/5 8) Bet365
1pt each-way N.Hojgaard 75/1 (1/5 8) Bet365
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Matt Fitzpatrick at 40/1 (Eight Places)
Doubts surround Rory McIlroy's fitness after a back spasm forced him to withdraw at Bayhill over the weekend. He's not quite in the same form as he was this time last year and without a win now in six months it is quite easy to pass him up here at single figure prices.
Scheffler isn't firing with his irons and that is a bit of a worry for anyone investing at 7/2, especially around Sawgrass. It makes the decision quite easy to steer away from the top two.
Collin Morikawa has obvious claims given the recent golf he has played. His price isn't much to get excited about though and neither is Cameron Young's. He is another with a strong game for Sawgrass but 33/1 doesn't appeal for someone who has yet to beat a field of this quality.
One who has on a handful of occasions though and who is playing well enough is Matt Fitzpatrick and anything 40/1 or above looks worth of a few quid. The Englishman's irons have been firing so far this year ranking 8th at Scottsdale, 3rd at Pebble and 10th at Riviera. They didn't quite fire last week but he rarely has two average weeks on the trot with his irons and I expect a better effort around Sawgrass. This is the perfect venue for an all rounder like Fitzpatrick. His putter has been a huge asset throughout his career and recent winners here are very efficient with that club. That has been the missing piece over the last month or so but he ranked 14th on the greens last week at Bayhill and this could be a perfect storm for him this week at Sawgrass.
2pts each-way M.Fitzpatrick 40/1 (1/5 8) Bet365, Paddypower, Skybet
Jordan Spieth at 55/1 (Eight Places)
Jordan Spieth was 4th here on his debut in 2014 but hasn't broken the top 10 since so there are reasons to explain quotes as high as 60/1.
However, not many have consistent results here and I'm happy to take the chance on him given the way he has played these last few weeks. Spieth hasn't lost any distance off the tee the last couple of years despite a run of poor form and with neither length or accuracy off the tee a big part of the jigsaw here it should play to his advantage.
He hasn't pulled up any trees with the driver but has gained enough with his irons at Riviera then last week at Bayhill to suggest he is improving heading into Major season.
The interesting aspect here is that his putter has really caught fire. 3rd at Pebble on the greens then 2nd at Riviera was backed up with 16th last week at Bayhill and we know how lethal Spieth can be when he marries his approach play and putting.
I'd have him on my antepost radar for the Masters right now given how he is quietly going about some improved golf but I'll take a flyer on him this week at Sawgrass given a little weakness among the favourites.
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Viktor Hovland at 35/1 (Eight Places)
Min Woo Lee has obvious claims here given the quality of his short game but I can't take the plunge around this track given how inconsistent his approach play can be. It fired last week ranking 7th with his irons and the big question will be whether he can maintain that standard.
I have my doubts. At the prices I much prefer the chances of Viktor Hovland. Hovland has been hitting his irons well for a while now and that continued last week at Bayhill. Crucially he found some form with the putter (6th in the field) which has been lacking the last number of weeks. Hovland has a really nice wedge game which is important around here and from 125-175 yards has been performing really well in 2026.
He has a top 3 finish here back in 2023 as well as 9th the year before and this should be one of the ideal venues for him. It's difficult to be consistent around a track that penalises you so heavily for wayward shots but Hovland has a fair record so far and the key as ever will be if he can find a touch with the putter.
It returned last week for the most part with him ranking 1st in that department in round 3. If he can find the same form for a couple of rounds here he could go mighty close.
Maverick McNealy at 50/1 (Eight Places)
Another who makes the staking plan is Maverick McNealy. The Californian has a really good record on tracks that don't demand a strategic long game and having made 3 of 5 cuts here looks well equipped to go well.
He is another who has been firing in all departments for most of the year and should his putter heat up he can make the final few groups at the weekend. The putter is usually a big positive for McNealy but it has gone missing most surprisingly at Pebble Beach but also at Riviera.
The same club wasn't all too hot last week either and he still managed 13th. He is performing really well off the tee (4th last week) and should give himself plenty of opportunities to score here this week.
A win at the RSM and a couple of top 5s at Harbour Town and a runner up at Pebble tells us he performs well on these tighter tracks and providing he finds form with the putter he can threaten his second PGA Tour victory.
Nicolai Hojgaard at 75/1 (Eight Places)
The driver is one of Nicolai Hojgaard's strongest assets and even though that is slightly curtailed around Sawgrass I can't resist getting involved at 80/1.
He has had a really decent start to the year consistently gaining strokes in all departments of the game. 22nd at Torrey kicked off his 2026 campaign in the States and since he has gone 3rd at Scottsdale, 6th at PGA National then 24th last week at Bayhill.
It's a really nice run of figures which of course is under threat at a beast of a layout in Ponte Vedra.
Nevertheless Nicolai has shown before he can win in the best fields when he won the DP World Tour Championship back in 2023.
It's questionable whether Sawgrass is the perfect fit, but I'm genuinely surprised to see 80/1 and the price dictates the bet here.
