Using Key Statistics to Find the Best Bet for the Players

• Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, and Scottie Scheffler are the top three players in the World Golf Rankings, with their odds for the Players Championship suggesting that they are the best bets to win the event this weekend.
• Based on a recent PGA Tour study, Rory McIlroy stands out as the best to win The Players Championship based on his driving distance and strokes gained ball striking statistics.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – The Players Championship tees off on Thursday, with sports betting sites indicating that there is a clear top three tier of contenders between Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler, and then everyone else.

The Players Championship Odds

• Jon Rahm +900
• Rory McIlroy +900
• Scottie Scheffler +1000
• Patrick Cantlay +1600
• Max Homa +1800
• Justin Thomas +2000
• Collin Morikawa +2500
• Will Zalatoris +2500
• Xander Schauffele +2500
• Jordan Spieth +2800

The triumvirate of Rahm, McIlroy, and Scheffler at the top of legal Players Championship betting sites should surprise no one as the three golfers have been battling for the top spot in the World Golf Rankings for nearly a year.

Rahm (1) and Scheffler (2) hold the top two spots in the current rankings, but it is Rory McIlroy who appears to be the best bet to win at TPC Sawgrass.

Projections for the Players

Rory McIlroy is the best bet to win the Players when applying two key statistics that a recent PGA Tour study to this week’s field:

• More than half of the last 19 winners at the Players in March have finished top 10 in driving distance at the tournament.
• Strokes gained in the ball striking category (strokes gained off the tee + on approach shots) are the key indicator of winners at the Players.

Bettors at legal sports betting sites can apply those trends to rank the best bets for the Players.

Using each golfer’s last 40 rounds, players can see which golfers that are at the Players have been hitting the ball the farthest off the tee.

Top Ten Golfers at the Players based on Driving Distance

• Rory McIlroy (+900): 328.9 Yards
• Cameron Young (+4000): 318.8 Yards
• Wyndham Clark (+12500): 316.3 Yards
• Gary Woodland (+12500): 314.3 Yards
• Jon Rahm (+900): 314.2 Yards
• Will Zalatoris (+2500): 313.6 Yards
• Jhonattan Vegas (+20000): 313.6 Yards
• Min Woo Lee (+12500): 312.5 Yards
• Byeong Hun An (+25000): 312.1 Yards
• Sam Burns (+6600)/Keith Mitchell (+5000): 311.7 Yards

Rory McIlroy stands out in driving distance with over a 10-yard lead over second-place Cameron Young. Comparing that same subset of golfers, McIlroy also dominates in strokes gained ball striking stats.

Strokes Gained Ball Striking of the Longest Drivers

• Rory McIlroy: 1.80 Strokes Gained
• Jon Rahm: 1.51 Strokes Gained
• Cameron Young: 1.27 Strokes Gained
• Will Zalatoris: 1.25 Strokes Gained
• Jhonattan Vegas: 1.00 Strokes Gained
• Keith Mitchell: 0.98 Strokes Gained
• Gary Woodland: 0.94 Strokes Gained
• Min Woo Lee: 0.68 Strokes Gained
• Wyndham Clark: 0.63 Strokes Gained
• Byeong Hun An: -0.13 Strokes Gained
• Sam Burns: -0.56 Strokes Gained

With Rory McIlroy dominating in the two most important statistics to focus on when betting on the Players Championship, the current world number three is the best bet to win the prestigious event with +900 odds.