Digital Sports Desk

Online Destination for the Best in Boston Sports

PGA Tour Brunch

Scheffler Masters Augusta (Again)

by

AUGUSTA – In professional golf, there’s Scottie Scheffler, and then there’s everybody else.

Embed from Getty Images

The No. 1 player in the world won his second Masters in three years on Sunday in Augusta, Ga., by firing a final-round 68 to finish the week at 11-under 271.

Six of Scheffler’s seven birdies came over his final 11 holes at Augusta National as he pulled away for a four-stroke win over Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg, who posted a 69. Collin Morikawa struggled to a 74, tying Englishman Tommy Fleetwood (69) and Max Homa (73) for third at 4 under.

It marks Scheffler’s second major victory and his 10th win on the PGA Tour in the past 26 months. He has won three tournaments in his last four starts

After a short birdie putt at No. 3, Scheffler suffered bogeys at Nos. 4 and 7 to drop to 6 under with Morikawa, whom he led by one after 54 holes. Aberg and Homa soon joined them for a four-way share of the lead, but Scheffler and Morikawa each birdied the par-5 eighth to sneak ahead to 7 under.

But after Scheffler’s approach at No. 9 spun back and narrowly missed the cup, setting up a birdie, each of his three competitors carded a double bogey to drop down the board. First was Morikawa, who failed to get out of a greenside bunker on his third shot at No. 9 before two-putting.

Aberg’s misstep came at the par-4 11th, where his approach landed well short of the green and hit the water. And Homa went backwards at the par-3 12th after his tee shot over the green bounced into bushes and forced him to take an unplayable lie.

Scheffler made it three birdies in a row at No. 10, absorbed a missed par putt at No. 11 and rebounded with consecutive birdies at Nos. 13 and 14. The latter was the final nail in the coffin, as his approach shot landed on the green’s back ridge and slowly rolled to 2 feet of the cup.

–Field Level Media

The Masters: Half-Way Point

by

AUGUSTA – Max Homa’s impressive performance in windy conditions Friday marks his fourth career 36-hole lead/co-lead on TOUR and first-ever in a major championship. On Tour, he’s one-for-three converting to victory (Won/2022 Fortinet Championship, 2nd/2023 Genesis Invitational, T5/2023 BMW Championship). Both Bryson DeChambeau and Scottie Scheffler share the lead.

Embed from Getty Images

For Scheffler, this is his 13th career 36-hole lead/co-lead on TOUR, the most of any player since he joined the TOUR at the start of the 2019-20 season. (The second-most is eight by Patrick Cantlay).

Scheffler is three-for-12 to date converting to victory with wins at the 2022 Masters Tournament, 2023 WM Phoenix Open, 2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard. … It’s his third career 36-hole lead/co-lead in majors; one-for-two to date converting to victory (Won/2022 Masters Tournament, T2/2023 PGA Championship).

With a win, Scheffler can become the fourth-youngest player to win the Masters multiple times, behind Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods and Seve Ballesteros.

For Homa, as noted, this is his fourth career 36-hole lead/co-lead on TOUR but first in a major championship. His previous-best 36-hole position in a major: T11, 2023 Open Championship when he finished T10.

Tiger Woods stole the headlines for the day, extending his streak of consecutive made cuts at The Masters to 24, and breaking a tie with Gary Player and Fred Couples for the longest streak in tournament history.

For Woods, the streak began with his win in 1997, but note, he did not play in 2014, 2016, 2017, and 2021.

Woods is an 82-time PGA TOUR winner and five-time Masters Tournament champion.

The conditions took the field average in the second round to 75.079, the highest in a single round at the Masters since the third round in 2016 (75.719). The 6-over is the highest 36-hole cut relative to par on TOUR since the 2020 U.S. Open (+6) and highest at the Masters since 2017 (+6).

Notables who missed the cut include, Justin Thomas, Sungai Im, rookie Nick Dunlap, Sergio Garcia (who was playing well on the LIV Tour), Wyndham Clark, Viktor Hovland, Jordan Spieth, Sam Burns, Bubba Watson and Dustin Johnson.

’24 Masters Preview

by

AUGUSTA – (PGATourBrunch) – The 2024 Masters Tournament is the first major championship of the ‘24 professional golf season. Scottie Scheffler enters the Masters as the No. 1 player in the FedEx Cup standings and No. 1 on the Official World Golf Ranking for the second time in the last three years. Scheffler has two victories this season, winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard and THE PLAYERS Championship in consecutive weeks.

Embed from Getty Images

This is the third consecutive year that Scheffler is entering the Masters with multiple wins on TOUR since January 1, the longest such streak since Tiger Woods did so from 2005-2008 (four straight). Scheffler is the only multiple winner on TOUR this season has finished in the top 10 in seven of his eight starts this season, the most of any player on TOUR. He led the TOUR in that category with 17 last season.

The Big News: Living Legend and 82-time PGA TOUR winner and five-time Masters Tournament champion Tiger Woods is making his second start of the season and first since The Genesis Invitational, where he withdrew during the second round due to illness.

Woods made the cut at the 2023 Masters and withdrew during the third round due to injury. He tied Gary Player and Fred Couples for most consecutive starts making the cut at the Masters with 23, and would break the tie with a made cut in 2024. With a win, Woods would break a tie with Sam Snead for most PGA TOUR wins in history and tie Jack Nicklaus for most wins at the Masters (6). This is Woods’ seventh start on TOUR since his February 2021 car accident and third at the Masters. He has three WDs in the previous six starts (2022 PGA Championship, 2023 Masters Tournament, 2024 Genesis Invitational), with his best result in that span coming at the 2023 Genesis Invitational (T45).

There are 89 players in the field, including 20 players making their tournament debut. Among the 20 first-timers in the field, 16 are PGA TOUR members and four are amateurs. Two of the top 10 players in the Official World Golf Ranking are making their first start at the Masters Tournament: No. 4 Wyndham Clark and No. 9 Ludvig Åberg.

Embed from Getty Images

Clark, who earned his first major title at the 2023 U.S. Open, has won three times on TOUR in the last 12 months, most recently winning the 2024 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. He is making his ninth career start in a major (3 PGA Championship, three U.S. Open, two Open Championship). Åberg, who turned professional in June of 2023 and joined the PGA TOUR as the No. 1 player in the 2023 PGA TOUR University Ranking, is making his first career start in a major.

In 19 starts on TOUR since turning professional, Åberg has recorded a win (2023 RSM Classic) and six additional Top-10s, including a runner-up to Clark at the 2024 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. He has finished in the top 25 in each of his last six starts.

At No. 5 in the Official World Golf Ranking, Xander Schauffele is the highest-ranked player that has not won a major. Schauffele has six top-10s on TOUR this season, the second-most of any player (7, Scottie Scheffler).

Schauffele has 19 Top 25s in majors since joining the PGA TOUR at the start of the 2016-17 season, the most of any player in that span.

Akshay Bhatia defeated Denny McCarthy in a playoff to win last week’s Valero Texas Open, earning the final spot in the Masters. The last player to win a major after winning on TOUR the week prior was Rory McIlroy in 2014 (WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, PGA Championship) and the last to do so at the Masters was Phil Mickelson in 2006 (BellSouth Classic).

McCarthy is also making his tournament debut. The last player to lose in a playoff on TOUR and win the following week was Patrick Cantlay, who lost in a playoff at the 2022 RBC Heritage and then won the Zurich Classic of New Orleans with partner Xander Schauffele.

The last player to lose in a playoff on TOUR and win a major the following week was Jordan Spieth in 2015 (lost in a playoff at the Texas Children’s Houston Open and won the Masters the following week).

2021 Masters Tournament winner Hideki Matsuyama has finished T12 or better in each of his last four starts, including a win at The Genesis Invitational. Matsuyama is one of only two players, along with World No. 1 and FedEx Cup leader Scottie Scheffler, that has finished in the top 20 in each of the last four years at the Masters.

2023 Open Championship winner Brian Harman is making his sixth start at the Masters (best result: T12/2021) and first as a major champion. The last player to win consecutive majors was Jordan Spieth, who won the Masters and the U.S. Open in 2015. The last reigning Open Championship winner to win the Masters was Tiger Woods in 2001.

Stephan Jaeger won the Texas Children’s Houston Open in his most recent start, earning his first PGA TOUR title in his 135th start. In the first 128 starts, Jaeger’s best finish was solo-fifth at the 2022 Rocket Mortgage Classic. But, in his last seven, he has recorded three finishes of T3 or better (T3/Farmers Insurance Open, T3/Mexico Open at Vidanta, Won/Texas Children’s Houston Open). He is making his fifth career start in a major and first at the Masters.

TOUR rookie Nick Dunlap is making his third career start in a major (MC/2022 U.S. Open, MC/2023 U.S. Open) and first at the Masters. Dunlap won The American Express in January, becoming the first amateur to win on TOUR since Phil Mickelson in 1991.

Bhatia Heads to The Masters

by

Adrenaline prevented Akshay Bhatia from getting much rest as he traveled from San Antonio, Texas to Augusta, Georgia. He’s had a busy couple of days, after all.

Bhatia secured a wire-to-wire victory at the Valero Texas Open on Sunday, which earned him an invitation to the Masters, his second career major start.

The way Bhatia won Sunday is what’s perhaps most impressive. He had to defeat a red-hot Denny McCarthy in a playoff after McCarthy carded a back-nine 28 to shoot up the leaderboard and catch Bhatia. And Bhatia had to play through a dislocated left shoulder — it popped out when he celebrated after making a birdie putt at No. 18 to force the playoff.

Bhatia, 22, had his shoulder taped up before playing his third shot of the par-5 playoff hole. Now that he’s in the Masters field, he’ll be closely monitoring how the shoulder feels.

“It’s going to be a work in progress, for sure,” Bhatia said. “I’ve had it happen two, three times. I had a full disk location playing pickleball a couple years ago, and I had — it kind of subluxed in Bermuda … in 2021. I played through that week. I think I finished 15th or 16th.

“So it’s nothing new to me. It’s a weird, weird experience because I had so much adrenaline so I had no pain kind of in that playoff. But it’s definitely something we’re going to have to work towards, and I have a lot of trust in my team that we can tee it up on Thursday.”

After arriving in Augusta on Monday, Bhatia did not have time to play a practice round, though rest and recovery was more important anyway.

“I’m just taking it easy. I’m going to get some physio work, just make sure my body’s good and rested,” Bhatia said. “This is seven weeks in a row for me, so it’s a lot of golf, but I also have a ton of adrenaline so it kind of balances out.

“I know for sure Wednesday I’ll play the Par-3 Contest and, but, yeah, just going to kind of sit down with the team and figure out what the best game plan is. I’m hoping my shoulder should be good, but I might be a little scared to hit some shots, and we just got to find out (Tuesday).”

Bhatia is the first person who participated in the Drive, Chip & Putt National Finals at Augusta National as a kid and went on to make a Masters field. He competed at Augusta for the first time as a 12-year-old in 2014.

“(To) have that opportunity, you know, that first time at the Drive, Chip & Putt is pretty surreal as a kid,” Bhatia said. “You just don’t realize how lucky we are to have that opportunity. And for everyone to be so gracious to let some kids hit some golf balls on the range, hit some putts on the 18th green, it was unreal.”

–Field Level Media

PGA Tour: Houston Open

by

HOUSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The PGA Tour shifts from its Florida Swing to Texas for this week’s Texas Children’s Houston Open, which begins today at Memorial Park Golf Course.

Embed from Getty Images

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler seeks his third consecutive victory against a solid field. Our golf experts preview the event and provide their favorite prop picks along with best bets to win this week.

TEXAS CHILDREN’S OPEN
Location: Houston, March 28-31
Course: Memorial Park Golf Course (Par 70, 7,435 yards)
Purse: $9.1M (Winner: $1.638M)
Defending Champion: Tony Finau (2022)
FedEx Cup Leader: Scottie Scheffler

HOW TO FOLLOW
TV: Thursday-Friday, 4-7 p.m. ET (Golf Channel); Saturday, 1-3:30 p.m. (GC), 3:30-6 p.m. (NBC); Sunday, 1-2:30 p.m. (GC), 2:30-6 p.m. (NBC)
Streaming (ESPN+): Thursday-Friday, 8:15 a.m.-7 p.m. ET; Saturday-Sunday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m.
X: @TXHouOpen

PROP PICKS
–The Field vs. Scottie Scheffler (-400 at BetMGM): There is little question that Scheffler is the best — and hottest — golfer on the planet. There’s also a good reason why it has been seven years since anyone has won three consecutive starts on tour — it’s really hard to do. It’s certainly not the strongest field of the year, but there is enough talent lurking around Memorial Park to believe Scheffler will have a difficult time making it three straight ahead of the Masters.

–Si Woo Kim to Beat Tony Finau (-110 at DraftKings): Kim is coming off a T6 at the Players in his most recent start and has a pair of other top-15 results in his past five starts overall. Finau is the defending champion, but that came in the Fall of 2022 on a much firmer golf course. He believes his hard work off the course will translate into quality results soon, but his recent track record includes a missed cut last week after a T45 at the Players.

–Wyndham Clark Top 10 (+130 at BetMGM): The only player better than Clark in each of his past two starts has been Scheffler, and he also won at Pebble Beach earlier this year. A career-best fourth in the world rankings, Clark is in excellent form and knows Memorial Park well from his T16 in the Fall of ’22.

2024 Prop Picks Record: 18-17-1

BEST BETS
–Scottie Scheffler (+275 at BetMGM) is trying to become the first player to win three consecutive events on tour since Dustin Johnson in 2017. He has a T2 and a T9 in Houston the past two seasons. He opened at +300, but those odds have shortened slightly with Scheffler third in both total bets (7.0 percent) and money (19.5 percent) backing him to win this week.
–Wyndham Clark (+1200) has finished runner-up to Scheffler in each of his past two events. He’s the second biggest liability at BetMGM, where Clark is second with 18 percent of the money supporting him to win. A caution flkag, as Clark is battling an injured back, suffered Monday when he was lifting weights.
–Sahith Theegala (+1600) is a Spring, Texas resident and has consecutive top-10s entering the week. Those factors have contributed to Theegala being the book’s biggest liability as he leads the field with 19.5 percent of the total money backing him since opening at +2200.
–Will Zalatoris (+1800) makes his tournament debut while coming off consecutive top-5s in his past two starts. He’s the third biggest liability at the book this week.
–Tony Finau (+2500) won by four shots in 2022 but has a lone top-10 in eight starts this season.

NOTES
–The event returns to a spring date after being contested in the fall each of the past four seasons. It was not played in the 2023 calendar year.
–This is the fourth playing at Memorial Park, which first hosted the tournament in 2020.
–The top 50 players in the Official World Golf Ranking after this event will qualify for the Masters if not already exempt. The highest-ranked players in this week’s field who are not yet exempt are No. 57 Tom Hoge, No. 63 Mackenzie Hughes and No. 66 Alex Noren.
–Padraig Harrington, who won on the Champions Tour last week, is in the field on a sponsor exemption.

–Field Level Media

Bad Back: Clark Intending to Play

by

HOUSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Wyndham Clark is optimistic that he will be able to compete in the Texas Children’s Houston Open after sustaining a back injury earlier this week. The tournament starts Thursday at Memorial Park Golf Course in Houston.

Embed from Getty Images

Clark, the fourth-ranked golfer in the world and reigning U.S. Open champion, said Wednesday that he was injured while lifting weights on Monday.

“I was in Scottsdale, I was working out,” Clark said. “Body’s been really healthy and I just got caught in an awkward spot doing a lift and back went. It’s not something that happens regularly, but it happened and you live and you learn. I’m trending in the right direction, I’m hitting it or feeling stronger and more mobile every day.”

Clark, 30, acknowledged that his team of therapists has helped in his recovery, so much so that he was able to play in a nine-hole pro-am on Wednesday.

“I was in pretty bad shape (Tuesday), but fortunately I have a great team that has gotten me to be able to swing and hit,” Clark said. “I was only really able to chip and putt, then I did a bunch of rehab and I was able to hit balls today. So just in a short time I’ve improved a ton and I think I’ll be ready for tomorrow.”

Clark acknowledged that he’d like to play in this tournament with The Masters approximately two weeks away. That said, he’ll let his back ultimately make that decision.

“I’m going to give it my best effort (Thursday), and hopefully I can play and compete,” he said. “If not, I’ve got to get ready for tournaments to come after this.”

–Field Level Media

PGA Tour: Valspar Championship

by

PALM HARBOR – The PGA Tour concludes its annual “Florida Swing” with this week’s Valspar Championship, which begins Thursday on the Copperhead Course at Innisbrook Resort in Palm Harbor, Fla.

The field features two of the top 10 players in the world rankings, and our golf experts preview the event along with their favorite prop picks and best bets to win this week.

VALSPAR CHAMPIONSHIP
Location: Palm Harbor, Fla., March 21-24
Course: Innisbrook Resort, Copperhead Course (Par 71, 7,340 yards)
Purse: $8.4M (Winner: $1.512M)
Defending Champion: Taylor Moore
FedEx Cup Leader: Scheffler

HOW TO FOLLOW
TV: Thursday-Friday, 2-6 p.m. ET (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 1-3 p.m. (GC), 3-6 p.m. (NBC)
Streaming (ESPN+): Thursday-Friday, 7:30 a.m.-6 p.m. ET; Saturday-Sunday, 7:45 a.m.-6 p.m.
X: @ValsparChamp

PROP PICKS
–Matt NeSmith to Beat Webb Simpson (-110 at DraftKings): NeSmith tied for third here two years ago and is coming off a solid T26 at The Players after missing three of his previous four cuts. Simpson has plummeted to 235th in the world rankings and hasn’t finished better than T30 in his past seven starts dating back to September.
–Cameron Young to Finish Top 20 (+120 at BetMGM): Young is still seeking his first PGA Tour victory, which could come this week against a softer field. He’s +500 to win the tournament, but we like the safety net and a still solid payout until Young proves he can close on Sunday. He followed three consecutive top-20s with a T36 at Bay Hill and a T54 at The Players.
–Doug Ghim to Beat Min Woo Lee Round 1 (-110 at DraftKings): Ghim has quietly put together five consecutive top-20 finishes, highlighted by a T16 at The Players. He also finished T27 here last year and has more course knowledge than Lee, who is playing many PGA Tour stops for the first time as a tour rookie. Lee is the bigger household name, but he hasn’t been in top form, posting a T54 at TPC Sawgrass and a T44 at Bay Hill after a T2 at the Cognizant Classic.

2024 Prop Picks Record: 16-16-1

BEST BETS
–Xander Schauffele (+800 at BetMGM) wasn’t able to close the deal on Sunday — again — at The Players. Can he rebound mentally to claim a win against a more modest field? He does have five top-10s in seven events this season. His is the book’s biggest liability this week, as Schauffele leads the field with 19.4 percent of the money backing him to win.
–Sam Burns (+1100) followed four consecutive top-10s with a T30 and a T45 the past two weeks. But the 2021 and 2022 Valspar champion also finished sixth at Innisbrook last year. Burns is third this week with 6.4 percent of the total bets backing him.
–Jordan Spieth (+1400) opened the year with a third at The Sentry and added a T6 in Phoenix but has a missed cut and a DQ among his past three starts. He won the Valspar in 2015 and tied for third last year.
–Justin Thomas (+1400) is coming off his second missed cut in three starts following a string of seven consecutive T12s or better. He’s BetMGM’s third biggest liability this week, having drawn 10.9 percent of the total money.
–Brian Harman (+2000) missed out on a playoff at The Players by a single shot following a T12 at Bay Hill. He has missed the cut in five of his past six appearances at the event. Harman is the book’s second biggest liability as he has been backed by the second most bets and the third most money at 9.2 percent in both markets.

NOTES
–World No. 7 Patrick Cantlay withdrew on Sunday, leaving No. 5 Xander Schauffele and No. 8 Brian Harman as the lone top-10 players in the field. No. 20 Tom Kim also withdrew over the weekend.
–The closing three holes on the Copperhead Course are known as the “Snake Pit,” featuring a pair of difficult par-4s sandwiching the 200-yard par-3.
–University of Florida teammates Fred Biondi and Ricky Castillo are in the field. Biondi is coming off a T32 in Puerto Rico, while Castillo will be making his non-major PGA Tour debut.
–European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald is among the sponsors invites, along with Ryan Palmer.
–Vijay Singh holds the tournament scoring record of 266 set in 2004, while Matt NeSmith (Round 2, 2022) and Padraig Harrington (Round 1, 2012) share the 18-hole record of 10-under 61.

–Field Level Media

The PLAYERS: Crowded at Top of Leaderboard After Round 1

by

PONTE VEDRA BEACH – (Staff and Wire Service Report) -World No. 2 Rory McIlroy and No. 6 Xander Schauffele shared the lead at 7-under par as the morning wave of the first round of The Players Championship was wrapping up Thursday.

Embed from Getty Images

Both took advantage of soft greens and light winds to card opening 65s at TPC Sawgrass, although they did it in distinctly different fashions.

McIlroy recorded 10 birdies, the most he has recorded in 41 career rounds at TPC Sawgrass. The Northern Irishman reached 8 under through 15 holes before finding the water left with his drive on the par-4 seventh hole, going on to record a double bogey.

McIlroy made up one of the strokes with a birdie on his final hole of the day at the par-5 ninth. Along with the 10 birdies and the double, he had a lone bogey and just six pars on his scorecard while finding the water twice.

“Much, much improved on the approach play today, which was nice to see,” McIlroy told reporters, adding that he chose to “grind” on the range rather than taking Monday off following a final-round 76 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. “I needed to clean up the technique a little bit, needed to clean up some things. Honestly, just needed to put the time in.”

Schauffele’s bogey-less card was mundane by contrast with seven birdies and 11 pars. He was happy to be playing in the morning, with the wind starting to pick up as the afternoon wave teed off.

“I wouldn’t want to re-hit a few of those shots today, I can tell you that much,” Schauffele said. “I definitely need to clean it up.”

Canada’s Nick Taylor recorded six birdies in a bogey-free round to finish one stroke in back of McIlroy and Schauffele.

Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg, who entered the Top 10 in the Official World Golf Ranking for the first time this week, eagled two of the four par-5s en route to a 5-under 67 in his first round at The Players. He added a pair of birdies against a lone bogey.

New Zealand’s Ryan Fox hit the first hole-in-one of the week, recording just the 14th ace in the history of the event at the famed par-3 17th hole.

McIlroy downplayed what appeared to be a disagreement with playing partner Jordan Spieth about where McIlroy’s drive crossed into the water.

“I think Jordan was just trying to make sure that I was doing the right thing,” McIlroy said when asked if Spieth’s actions were needless. “I was pretty sure that my ball had crossed where I was sort of dropping it. It’s so hard, right, because there was no TV evidence. I was adamant. But I think, again, he was just trying to make sure that I was going to do the right thing.

“If anything, I was being conservative with it. I think at the end of the day we’re all trying to protect ourselves, protect the field, as well. I wouldn’t say it was needless. I think he was just trying to make sure that what happened was the right thing.”

–Field Level Media

50th Edition of The PLAYERS

by

PONTE VEDRA BEACH – The 50th edition of The Players Championship begins today at TPC Sawgrass. Often called “the fifth major,” the 144-player field is arguably the strongest of the year outside of the four majors, even minus those who left for LIV Golf. Our golf experts preview the event and provide their favorite prop picks along with best bets to win this week.

THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP
Location: Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., March 14-17
Course: TPC Sawgrass (Par 72, 7,275 yards)
Purse: $25M (Winner: $4.5M)
Defending Champion: Scheffler
FedEx Cup Leader: Scheffler

HOW TO FOLLOW
TV: Thursday-Friday, 1-7 p.m. ET (Golf Channel); Saturday, 2-7 p.m. (NBC); Sunday, 1-6 p.m. (NBC)
Streaming (ESPN+): Thursday-Friday, 7:30 a.m.-7 p.m. ET; Saturday, 8 a.m.-7 p.m.; Sunday, 7:30 a.m.-6 p.m.
X: @ThePlayers

PROP PICKS
–Brian Harman to Beat Tony Finau (+100 at DraftKings): Harman is coming off a solid T12 at Bay Hill following a string of five starts with no finishes better than a T44. T44 is exactly where he finished in The Players last year before going on to win The Open. Finau finished T19 last year and should be well rested after skipping the Arnold Palmer Invitational. We still like Harman’s ball-striking around the challenging TPC Sawgrass — especially at these odds.

–Wyndham Clark Top 20 (+150 at BetMGM): The reigning U.S. Open champion is coming off a runner-up at Bay Hill and won at Pebble Beach earlier this year — both against strong signature event fields. Clark still isn’t getting the love from oddsmakers, but the world’s No. 5-ranked player is back in top form.

–Hole In One on Hole 17 (+250 at DraftKings): One of the most famous holes in golf, “the watery grave” always makes for some entertaining prop action. There have only been 13 aces at the 17th hole since The Players moved to TPC Sawgrass in 1982. Three of those came last year and Shane Lowry carded one in 2022. Keep an eye on that front left pin placement — we’re banking on at least one player zipping a short iron back into the cup.

2024 Prop Picks Record: 13-16-1

BEST BETS
– Scottie Scheffler (+550 at BetMGM) is coming off a five-shot victory at Bay Hill and also won The Players by five shots last year. His seven PGA Tour wins since 2021-22 are the most of anyone during that span. Scheffler opened the week at +650 but has seen his odds shorten while drawing the most total winning bets (15.4 percent) and money (23.7 percent), making him the book’s biggest liability this week. Scheffler has the same odds at DraftKings, where he has been backed by lopsided action at 28 and 35 percent, respectively.
– Rory McIlroy (+1600) missed the cut last year and has an average finish of 34th over his past four appearances. However, he did win in 2019 and was in contention last week until a 76 on Sunday. The world’s No. 2-ranked player opened at +1400 but has seen his odds lengthen slightly despite being second in the field with 6.9 percent of the bets and 8.0 percent of the money.
– Justin Thomas (+2300) finished T12 at Bay Hill after going 72-73 over the weekend. The 2021 Players champion has only one finish worse than T12 in his past nine worldwide starts. Thomas is BetMGM’s second-biggest liability this week, having drawn 6.8 and 7.4 percent of the action, respectively.
–Will Zalatoris (+2500) spent time atop the leaderboard last week before settling for a T4 after going 72-72 over the weekend. With a T2 in his previous start at the Genesis, it’s clear Zalatoris’ game is rounding back into shape, and he’s the book’s third-biggest liability this week. Zalatoris has longer odds at DraftKings, where he has drawn the second most money with 6 percent at +3000.
– Viktor Hovland (+2500) is a darkhorse as he works his way through some swing changes. The reigning FedEx Cup champion has admittedly been frustrated with a lone top-20 in four 2024 starts, and he returned home for a spell to focus on his game. However, the young Norwegian is always a threat and finished T3 last year. He’s fourth in the field with 4 percent of the money backing him to win at +2200 at DraftKings.
– Clark (+3400) is a career-best fifth in the world rankings following his runner-up last week. The defending U.S. Open champion also won at Pebble Beach last month. Clark has significantly longer +5000 odds at DraftKings, which has led to 3 percent of the total money backing him to win.
–Shane Lowry (+3400) has finished T4 and third the past two weeks.
–Tom Hoge (+7100) set the course record with a third-round 62 en route to finishing T3 last year.

NOTES
–This is the 50th playing of the event, which began in 1974, and the 42nd edition at TPC Sawgrass, which became the venue in 1982.
–Scheffler is the first defending champion to arrive at The Players ranked No. 1 in the world since McIlroy in 2020. McIlroy won in 2019 and the event was ultimately canceled the following year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
–There are 22 players in the field making their event debuts this week, including Sweden’s 10th-ranked Ludvig Aberg and Nick Dunlap, who turned pro after winning the American Express in January.
–Tiger Woods, the 2001 and 2013 champion, is not in the field.
–Each of the past four winners of The Players entered the week ranked in the top-10 of the Official World Golf Ranking.
–The three hole-in-ones at the signature 17th hole last year marked the first time there were multiple aces on that hole.
–Former PGA Tour pro and current LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman holds the tournament scoring record of 24-under 264 set in 1994.

–Field Level Media

Scheffler to Defend at PLAYERS

by

PONTE VEDRA BEACH – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler will begin his defense at The Players Championship paired alongside fellow Americans Rickie Fowler and Justin Thomas for the first two rounds.

Embed from Getty Images

Coming off a dominating victory at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, where he beat the entire field by two strokes on Sunday, Scheffler is the first defending champion to arrive at TPC Sawgrass as the top-ranked player in the world since Rory McIlroy in 2020. The event was ultimately canceled that year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Scheffler will begin his quest for a repeat in the afternoon wave on Thursday, teeing off in at 1:40 p.m. ET in one of the marquee pairings released Monday. The trio will tee off at 8:35 a.m. on Friday. Fowler won the Players in 2015 while Thomas claimed the trophy three years ago.

Thursday’s afternoon wave will include other marquee groups comprised of defending U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark playing with fellow former champions Collin Morkikawa and Brian Harman, while young American stars Tony Finau and Will Zalatoris will play with former Open champion Shane Lowry.

McIlroy is coming off a disappointing Sunday at Bay Hill, where he stumbled to a final-round 76. Rather than grab his opportunity to reclaim the No. 1 ranking, McIlroy saw the distance between him and Scheffler grow further with a tie for 21st.

The 2019 champion finished T33 at last year’s Players. He will tee off at 8:35 a.m. on Thursday in a featured group along with Jordan Spieth and Norway’s Viktor Hovland.

Also teeing off in the morning wave of the opening round will be the group of Patrick Cantlay, 2004 Players champion Adam Scott and rising Swedish star Ludvig Aberg.

They will all be looking to get off to a fast start to put pressure on Scheffler, the +500 pre-tournament favorite at DraftKings and +550 favorite at BetMGM.

“Everybody, I guess, now is kind of looking up at me at the top of the rankings and trying to take me down, so in order to stay up there, you got to put in a lot of work,” Scheffler said on Sunday.

–Field Level Media