Players Championship Odds 2015: Vegas Projections for Top Players in Field
It doesn't have the recognition of golf's majors, but The Players Championship is for all intents and purposes treated as one, bringing out the best in the PGA year in and year out.
The 2015 edition of the tournament begins on May 7 at the TPC at Sawgrass golf course in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. Big-time stars such as reigning Masters champion Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods are all expected to tee off on Thursday.
Two-time major winner Martin Kaymer won the tourney at 14 under in 2014, holding off the likes of Spieth, Jim Furyk and Sergio Garcia.
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Spieth may be the hottest name in golf right now, but not even his brilliant form on the PGA Tour this year or his fine performance at last year's Players Championship can garner him the strongest odds to win at this point.
Let's take a look at the latest Vegas projections, courtesy of Bodog (h/t Odds Shark).
| Rory McIlroy | 7-1 |
| Jordan Spieth | 15-2 |
| Justin Rose | 18-1 |
| Henrik Stenson | 20-1 |
| Dustin Johnson | 25-1 |
| Jason Day | 25-1 |
| Jim Furyk | 25-1 |
| Tiger Woods | 28-1 |
| Hideki Matsyuama | 33-1 |
| Jimmy Walker | 33-1 |
| Sergio Garcia | 33-1 |
| Adam Scott | 40-1 |
| Bubba Watson | 40-1 |
| Lee Westwood | 40-1 |
| Matt Kuchar | 40-1 |
| Paul Casey | 40-1 |
| Phil Mickelson | 40-1 |
| Louis Ooosthuizen | 50-1 |
| Rickie Fowler | 50-1 |
| Zach Johnson | 50-1 |
| Billy Horschel | 55-1 |
| Hunter Mahan | 55-1 |
| Patrick Reed | 55-1 |
| JB Holmes | 66-1 |
| Ian Poulter | 70-1 |
| Kevin Na | 70-1 |
| Martin Kaymer | 70-1 |
| Sean O'Hair | 70-1 |
| Brooks Koepka | 75-1 |
| Gary Woodland | 75-1 |
| Luke Donald | 75-1 |
No, Spieth's odds haven't been trumped by those of a new challenger in the golf world. McIlroy, despite his infrequent play on the PGA Tour this year, is back to his winning ways after a fantastic 4-2 win over Gary Woodland at the WGC-Cadillac Match Play Championship on Sunday.
World No. 1 McIlroy will play alongside Spieth (No. 2) and Jason Day at The Players Championship, which makes this easily the group to watch for the first two rounds. Featuring the two favorites in the field and two of the biggest young names in golf, it's a dream pairing for golf fans—and the PGA's ratings.
The group of Kaymer, Woods and K.J. Choi should also prove to be one followed closely by fans. Of Course, Kaymer will be looking to repeat as champion at Sawgrass.
He's had a rough go of it so far this year on the PGA Tour, missing the cut at the Masters, Houston Open and Texas Open and finishing tied for 34th at the WGC-Cadillac Match Play Championship. The 30-year-old German will almost certainly be hoping that The Players Championship proves to be a remedy for his recent golfing woes.
Woods never strays far from the spotlight, and the narrative for him in Florida will be how he plays in the wake of his recently announced breakup with longtime girlfriend Lindsey Vonn, one of the top alpine skiers in the world and an Olympic gold medalist.
Early May is already tough for Woods, as his father, Earl Woods, passed away on May 3, 2006.
"I haven't slept. These three days, May 3rd through the 5th, is just brutal on me," Woods told reporters. "And then with obviously what happened on Sunday, it just adds to it."
Woods hasn't played since the Masters, where he finished tied for 17th at five under after an uneven four days of golf.
While the likes of McIlroy, Spieth, Henrik Stenson and Justin Rose have the shortest of odds—with good reason—there is one player generating some interesting buzz before the tournament. Sporting 50-1 odds, Zach Johnson is nowhere near a favorite at The Players Championship, but SportsCenter anchor Matt Barrie (h/t ESPN.com) is picking him to win this weekend:
"The venue favors players who can put the ball in play consistently. For that reason, I'm going with Zach Johnson. Zach has finished in the top 20 at Sawgrass in four of his last five starts. Johnson fits the course well because you don't have to be long off the tee, but you have to be accurate with placement. Johnson will stand tall among the players at the Players this week.
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The 39-year-old Johnson has four top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour this season, including a ninth-place performance at the Masters. Sky Sports' Ben Coley figures him to be a nice pick at those long odds.
"Johnson’s game is about accuracy and touch and Sawgrass favours such types," Coley wrote. "He’ll relish the challenge of shaping his drives to find what are small targets and providing he gets off to a solid start on Thursday, I firmly expect the 2007 Masters champion to be a factor come the weekend."
Johnson is a PGA Tour staple and often overlooked heading into notable tournaments. While the experts fancy his accuracy at TPC Sawgrass, he may still find it tough to best an in-form McIlroy or the shooting star that is Spieth.
Furyk is also a player to keep a keen eye on. He finished 12 under at last year's Players Championship, made it to the semifinals of the WGC Match Play Championship (losing to McIlroy) and won the RBC Heritage that Johnson played so poorly in.
The young guns will draw in the fans for The Players Championship, but it could end up being a showcase for some of the old hands in Florida this year.
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