2019 Players Championship odds: Surprising picks from proven model that nailed four golf majors

The Players Championship is often referred to as golf’s “fifth major.” That’s because very few tournaments feature the depth of talent like the 2019 Players Championship, which will feature an incredibly strong 144-player field, including the likes of two-time champion Tiger Woods, Justin Rose, Rory McIlroy, Rickie Fowler and many more. Of the 38 golfers who have won the Players Championship, 26 of them have also won a major. Dustin Johnson, the top-ranked player in the world, is the favorite in the latest 2019 Players Championship odds, going off at 12-1 for Thursday’s start. But a star-studded 2019 Players Championship field that includes major champions like Rose (18-1), McIlroy (14-1), Justin Thomas (16-1) and Brooks Koepka (22-1) will all be in hot pursuit. With so many big names playing such an iconic venue, you’ll want to see the latest PGA predictions from the team at SportsLine before locking in any 2019 Players Championship picks of your own.

SportsLine’s prediction model, built by DFS pro Mike McClure, has nailed four of the past eight majors entering the weekend and called Tiger Woods’ deep run in the PGA Championship despite being a 25-1 long shot. The model has been spot-on early in the 2018-19 season. It was high on champion Dustin Johnson at the 2019 WGC-Mexico Championship, projecting him as one of the top two contenders from the start. It also correctly predicted Brooks Koepka’s (9-1) victory at the CJ Cup earlier this season. Additionally, it correctly called Bryson DeChambeau’s (9-1) seven-shot victory at the 2019 Omega Dubai Desert Classic. Anyone who has followed the model is up huge. 

Now that the 2019 Players Championship field is locked, SportsLine simulated the event 10,000 times, and the results were surprising. One huge shocker the model is calling for: Woods, a two-time winner of this event and a 14-time major champion, doesn’t even crack the top 10. 

Woods withdrew from last week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational, an event he has won a record eight times, due to a neck strain. The 43-year-old has dealt with multiple injuries in recent years but has been playing extremely well, finishing in the top 10 in three of his past five PGA Tour starts, which includes a victory at the 2018 Tour Championship. And with a win this week, Woods would tie Jack Nicklaus for the most victories in the history of the Players Championship at three. 

However, Woods’ last Players Championship victory came all the way back in 2013. He also enters this week’s event hitting just 64.29 percent of fairways off the tee, which could cause major trouble at TPC Sawgrass. He’s not a strong pick to win it all and there are far better values in this loaded field.

Another surprise: Xander Schauffele, a 28-1 long shot, makes a strong run at the title. He’s a target for anyone looking for a huge payday. 

Schauffele enters the 2019 Players Championship as one of the hottest golfers on the PGA Tour. In fact, he’s finished 15th or better in five of his last six starts, which includes victories at the Sentry Tournament of Champions and WGC-HSBC Champions.

Schauffele is a prolific ball-striker who can tear up a golf course. He enters the Players Championship 2019 ranked seventh on the PGA Tour in scoring average (69.732) and has already racked up 142 birdies in 32 total rounds this season. He’s proven he can have major success at the Players Championship despite making only one appearance at TPC Sawgrass. Last year, he fired three rounds of 68 or better to finish as the runner-up to Webb Simpson in his first Players Championship start. He has all the skills needed to ascend the 2019 Players Championship leaderboard in a hurry starting on Thursday. 

Also, the model says five other golfers with 2019 Players Championship odds of 20-1 or longer make a strong run at the title. Anyone who backs these underdogs could hit it big. 

So who wins the 2019 Players Championship? And which long shots stun the golfing world? Check out the 2019 Players Championship odds below and visit SportsLine now to see the full Players Championship projected leaderboard from the model that nailed the winners of four golf majors.

Dustin Johnson 12-1
Rory McIlroy 14-1
Justin Thomas 16-1
Justin Rose 18-1
Brooks Koepka 22-1
Francesco Molinari 22-1
Rickie Fowler 22-1
Tiger Woods 25-1
Xander Schauffele 25-1
Tommy Fleetwood 28-1
Jon Rahm 28-1
Bryson DeChambeau 28-1
Sergio Garcia 33-1
Jason Day 35-1