Players Championship Odds 2022: Vegas Projections for Top Players in Field

It's never easy to predict who is going to win the Players Championship. Nearly every year, a different golfer leaves TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., as the victor of this prestigious event. And it's likely there will be another new winner in 2022.

Of the past 17 Players Championships, 16 have produced a first-time winner of the tournament. The only exception during that stretch was in 2013, when Tiger Woods captured the title for a second time.

Last year, Justin Thomas won the event by finishing at 14 under par, one stroke ahead of Lee Westwood. He will now look to become the first golfer to win the event in back-to-back years and join six others (including Woods) as a multi-time champion.

Here are the latest odds for this year's Players, which begins Thursday, followed by a closer look at several top contenders.

2022 Players Championship Odds

John Raoux/Associated Press

Justin Thomas: +1000 (bet $100 to win $1,000)

Jon Rahm: +1000

Rory McIlroy: +1600

Collin Morikawa: +1600

Scottie Scheffler: +2000

Patrick Cantlay: +2000

Viktor Hovland: +2200

Xander Schauffele: +2500

Hideki Matsuyama: +2500

Adam Scott: +3000

Daniel Berger: +3000

Cameron Smith: +3000

Dustin Johnson: +3500

Brooks Koepka: +3500

           

Complete list of odds available at Golf" target="_blank">DraftKings Sportsbook.

Can Thomas Be 1st to Win Back-to-Back Titles?

Ryan Kang/Associated Press

Thomas hadn't had a ton of success at TPC Sawgrass prior to the 2021 Players Championship. He finished 11th or worse in four of his first five appearances at the event, with the lone exception being a third-place showing in 2016.

After shooting a 71 in each of his first two rounds last year, the Louisville, Kentucky native upped his game to another level. In the third round, he posted a score of 64, the best of his career on the course. And he finished with a 68 to capture his first Players title.

There have been plenty of past Players winners who could not replicate their victory, and Thomas will forget talk of defending the title and focus on the event as though he has never won it before.

"I'm just going to go try to win it again," he said, per Doug Ferguson of the Associated Press.

Perhaps that simple approach will lead to more success for Thomas, who has finished in the top eight in three of his first four tournaments of 2022 but is still seeking his first win of the PGA Tour season.

Rahm Looking to Hold on to No. 1 Spot in Rankings

Ryan Kang/Associated Press

It's possible Jon Rahm will no longer sit at No. 1 in the Official World Golf Ranking by the time the 2022 Players Championship is over.

As Brentley Romine of Golf Channel noted, there are four names who could take over the top spot this weekend: Collin Morikawa, Viktor Hovland, Patrick Cantlay and Scottie Scheffler.

But there's also a decent chance Rahm will still be ranked No. 1 come Sunday evening.

The 27-year-old is winless since his victory at the 2021 U.S. Open last June, but he's showed continued improvement at TPC Sawgrass in recent years and should be among the top contenders this weekend.

Rahm has participated in the Players four times, finishing better each year. He was ninth in 2021, when he finished eight under par. He was 11 under par in 2019, when he placed 12th and shot a 69 or better in each of the first three rounds.

Will the Spaniard's past success lead to his first Players victory this weekend? It's quite possible, especially considering the trend of first-time winners in the event's history.

What's in Store for McIlroy This Year?

John Raoux/Associated Press

Rory McIlroy won the Players Championship for the first time in 2019, but he's had mixed results at the event over the years.

After the 2020 tournament was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, the 32-year-old struggled upon his return to TPC Sawgrass in 2021, when he missed the cut after a 79 and a 75 in his first two rounds.

Although McIlroy has finished in the top 10 at the tournament four times, he's missed the cut five times. This year, he'll look to repeat the success he had in 2019, when he finished 16 under par and won by one stroke ahead of Jim Furyk.

The Northern Irishman hadn't played in a tournament in more than two months when he tied for 10th at the Genesis Invitational in February. Last week, he tied for 13th at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, but he shot a 76 in each of the final two rounds, so he'll be looking to get back on track early at the Players.

While it's never exactly clear how McIlroy is going to fare at TPC Sawgrass, he's proved he can have success at the course in the past. So he can't be discounted as a top contender this weekend.

         

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