Players Championship 2016 Predictions: Top Golfers to Watch at Sawgrass

Outside of the PGA majors, there are few events more anticipated than the Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass. And with 600 FedEx Cup points and a share of the $10.5 million purse at stake, more than just pride is on the line.

Let's break down some of the favorites at this year's event. 

The Obvious Favorites

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There's one question on everybody's minds heading into the Players Championship: How will Jordan Spieth recover from his Masters meltdown?

Maybe we should be more specific: How will Spieth recover from his meltdown on the 12th hole in the final round of the Masters, when he inexplicably finished with a quadruple-bogey?

Because the thing about Spieth's "final-round meltdown" was that it was actually just a one-hole meltdown. Take away the 12th hole, and Spieth shot a three-under the rest of the round. After he cost himself the Masters on the 12th, he still was one under over his next six holes. 

Most players, had they shot a quadruple-bogey to blow their Masters lead, probably would have crumbled the rest of the way. And while Spieth didn't play tremendously down the stretch, he still played respectably. Which is why it's hard to imagine him dwelling too long on that fateful hole or allowing it to affect his confidence going forward. 

That isn't to say that Spieth will play great at this tournament, of course, as Jason Sobel of ESPN.com noted:

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While I don't think Spieth is going to suffer any sort of Masters hangover, I don't believe TPC Sawgrass suits him all that well. Even though he contended here two years ago, he missed the cut last year. If he plays poorly this week, some will try to connect the dots from the Masters to the Players, but I think they're mutually exclusive.

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Spieth isn't the only player among the favorites who has struggled at TPC Sawgrass. The world's No. 1 player, Jason Day, has never finished higher than sixth at the course and has missed the cut three times in five starts.

“Obviously I haven't had the greatest finishes here at The Players Championship, but with that said, I feel a lot more prepared this year than I ever have in my career coming into this event,” Day said, per Steve DiMeglio of USA Today.

He added:

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This golf course tests every aspect of your game. A lot of the greats have won this tournament. And it would be an absolute honor to be able to put my name there, and to be able to walk underneath from the locker room past the caddie hut there underneath in the basement there, to be able to see my picture up on the wall. Because I don't want to walk through there during my career and not be able to see my picture up there at least once...

This is the toughest field we have all year. It's a big event. It's getting bigger and bigger every time I come back. It's a golf tournament that you really do want to win and have it on your resume at the end of your career.

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Rory McIlroy, the last of golf's triumvirate, doesn't have a triumph at this tournament on his resume, either, though he does have three top-10 finishes in his last three Players Championships.

That, in part, is because McIlroy often finds himself battling the layout of the course, which has long been a hindrance to McIlroy's natural style of play. He's made adjustments, however.

"I've gotten a lot more comfortable with Sawgrass," he told Bob Harig of ESPN.com. "I finally accepted that I can't hit driver as much as I would like there. I've always felt that it was a golf course that handcuffed me a little bit. The things that give me an advantage over some of the field, you know, they don't really give me an advantage there."

Of golf's top three players, McIlroy seems the most likely to finally conquer TPC Sawgrass. But there is also the rest of the field to consider...

 

Other Names to Watch

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Rickie Fowler is the defending champion, so he's the first name to watch outside of the favorites. On the other hand, the tournament hasn't had a back-to-back winner in 42 years.

Sergio Garcia is always a player to watch at TPC Sawgrass, with a win at the tournament and six top-10 finishes. Save some poor putting down the stretch, meanwhile, Justin Rose is coming off an excellent showing at the Wells Fargo Championship, finishing just a stroke off the lead.

Then there is Hideki Matsuyama, who doesn't seem intimidated by any course and has six top-11 finishes since the CIMB Classic in late October 2015. Matsuyama is an intriguing name to watch.

But will any of them actually finish atop the leaderboard?

Prediction

This will be the year that McIlroy breaks through and wins at TPC Sawgrass. And this will be the tournament where McIlroy reminds the golfing world that he is still truly one of the game's elite alongside the surging Spieth and Day.

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