The PLAYERS Championship
TPC Sawgrass – Ponte Vedra Beach, FL
Purse: $9,500,000

This week the PGA Tour heads to the TPC Sawgrass for the 40th playing of The PLAYERS Championship.  The PLAYERS is the PGA Tour’s flagship event as evident by one of the strongest fields of the season and also boasting the largest purse of the year at an eye-popping $9,500,000.  After opening the 2013 PGA Tour season with 14 straight American winners, we saw the internationals storm back and take three straight events, including Scot Martin Laird, Aussie Adam Scott and Northern Irishman Graeme McDowell. 

Over the past two weeks however, the Americans have started a new streak with two straight winners, both who happened to be 2012 PGA Tour Q-School grads: Billy Horschel taking the title at the Zurich Classic and Derek Ernst last week at the Wells Fargo.  For fantasy-goers this has to be one of the most difficult tournaments of the year to predict as there has never been a back-to-back champion in the history of the event and tournament results for some of the most heralded golfers, save a rare few, have been spotty at best.  This is Week 19 of the Fantasy Challenge-Golf Channel with $1,710,000 going to the winner.  Take heart gamers because even if you can’t pick this week’s winner, a solo second will still bag you over $1M.  

Tournament Notes:

• Field Watch:  Defending Champion:  Matt Kuchar; Runner-ups: Martin Laird, Zach Johnson, Rickie Fowler and Ben Curtis.
• Past champions joining Kuchar in the field:  K.J. Choi (2011); Tim Clark (2010); Henrik Stenson (2009); Sergio Garcia (2008); Phil Mickelson (2007); Adam Scott (2004); Davis Love III (2003, 1992); Tiger Woods (2001); Justin Leonard (1998).
• Course measures 7,215 yards on the card.  Par 72 (36-36).  Winning score in 2012 was -13; -13 in 2011 and -16 in 2010.  

TPC Sawgrass [Forecast]:  Temperature range 77-85°F; winds variable 6-11 mph.  Sunday is showing the greatest chance of rain, but only at 30%.

Names to Watch (Odds):

• Tiger Woods (8/1) – Four weeks have gone by since we last saw Woods finishing up a T4 at the Masters.  Save for his win here in 2001, Woods’ record over the TPC Sawgrass is not Woods-like.  His only Top-10 since his victory twelve years ago was a solo 8th in 2009.  He withdrew in 2010 and 2011 and finished T40 last year.  However, he is the only multiple winner on the PGA Tour so far in 2013 (having won three of his six starts) and ranks first on Tour in too many categories to mention.          

• Adam Scott (18/1) – The only place we’ve seen Adam Scott since winning the Masters is making his Green Jacket rounds on the talk-show circuit.  Hard to tell if he’s ready to go this week or not or if he’s even come back down to earth for that matter.  Has had a couple of Top-10s here since winning in 2004 but like most others, he also has a smattering of missed-cuts and not so stellar finishes.  Leads Tour in Scoring Average at 69.02.

• Luke Donald (18/1) – Has five Top-25 finishes in six events so far in 2013.  T2 in 2005, Donald also has back-to-back Top-10s here and is riding a streak of six consecutive made cuts at Sawgrass.  Coming off a T3 at the RBC Heritage (another Pete Dye design) Donald looks like he’s a go for launch.  He won the European Tour’s premier event (BMW PGA Championship) in 2012 so it only stands to reason that he will make it a double and take home the PGA Tour’s flagship event this week.

  • Sergio Garcia (28/1) – Since missing the cut here in 2003, Garcia has made nine straight cuts including a solo second finish in 2007 and his win in 2008.  Hard to find “steady” at the TPC Sawgrass but as steady goes, Garcia is as close as it comes.  Tweaked his back on the 10th hole in the second round last week in Charlotte but managed to play through it finishing T16.  Has 16 Top-25s in his last 17 starts worldwide.  

• Billy Horschel (40/1) – Maiden visit to the The PLAYERS but Horschel is a Gator alum and a Jacksonville Beach resident so Sawgrass is a home game of sorts.  Winner two weeks ago at the Zurich Classic, Horschel leads the PGA Tour in Consecutive Cuts Made with his streak now at 23 straight including four straight Top-10s. 

• Henrik Stenson (60/1) – Two Top-10s in 2013 and a T18 at the Masters.  Coming off a missed-cut last week in Charlotte but Stenson’s record here is amongst the best in the field.  Has made five of seven cuts and all five were Top-25 or better including the 2009 champion.  First on Tour in Total Driving and Greens in Regulation in 2013, both should bode well on the Pete Dye design.

• Peter Hanson (80/1) – The Swede has only played here twice but is two-for-two and both were Top-20s.  Limited starts on Tour in 2013 but has four Top-25s in seven starts including a T8 at the WGC-Cadillac and a T13 at the Honda.  Tends to play well in the big events.  20th in Total Putting on Tour this year as well as first in Three-putt Avoidance.

• David Toms (100/1) – How Toms is not listed with better odds is beyond me.  T10 here a year ago following a playoff loss in 2011.  Counting his T9 in 2009 puts him in the Top-10 here three out of the last four years.  That’s enough for me to put him high on my list.

• Jimmy Walker (100/1) – Seven Top-25s in twelve events in 2013 including four Top-10s.  Walker was T2 after 54-holes two weeks ago at the Zurich but shot a disappointing final round 71 and watched as Billy Horschel closed with 64 and roared to victory.  Walker is two for three here finishing T35 last year and T26 in 2010.  Second on Tour in Consecutive Cuts Made at 21 and third in Scoring Average at 69.69 puts him on my short list.  He’s also first on Tour in both Par 4 and Par 5 Performance.

• Carl Pettersson (110/1) – Slow start to the 2012 season for Pettersson with only three Top-25s in 12 events but Top-10 here a year ago (also in 2006) and has shot par or better in his last seven rounds at the Stadium Course.  He currently is 3rd on Tour in Proximity to the Hole from the rough at 35’ 9” which comparing that to last year’s average here of 51’ 1” (second most difficult of all courses) that’s a downright gaudy stat.

• Charley Hoffman (125/1) – Prior to missing the cut at the Zurich, had three straight Top-20s including a T6 at the RBC Heritage where he was the 54-hole leader.  After UNLV golfer Derek Ernst’s victory last week at the Wells Fargo felt appropriate with throwing another one in the mix this week (along with Adam Scott).  Eighth on Tour in All-Around and fifth in Par-5 Birdies or Better.      

My Golf Channel Fantasy picks this week:  Group 1:  Luke Donald; Group 2:  Carl Pettersson; Group 3:  Jimmy Walker; Group 4:  Stewart Cink.