2021 THE PLAYERS Championship: Golf Preview, Picks and Bets

We're getting closer and closer to The Masters at Augusta but before we get there we have the golf tournament considered by many as the 'fifth major' in THE PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass to bet on this week.

Matthew Wolff is the only top-50 player not in the field this week, meaning we're in for one of the best weeks on the 2021 golfing calendar!

With so many top players in the field, it's extremely hard to pick an outright winner but it also means there's plenty of value on the board as we look for our third outright winner in almost as many weeks! Visit our Golf Hub for data-led probabilities for the Winner, Top 5, Top 10 and Top 20 having simulated the tournament 10,000 times!

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Looking ahead to our picks for the week now, we’ve once again gone with three outright winner plays, ranging from the outright favorite to a couple of value plays.

🏌️‍♂️ Outright winner picks

🏆  Top Pick:

Rory McIlroy (+1200 or 12/1)

Bet $10, win $120

This week's favorite is of course Dustin Johnson (he's also the favorite for every 2021 major) but we're skipping past DJ and going to the 2019 THE PLAYERS champ, in Rory McIlroy.

It was at this point last year in 2020 when golf was shut down and no player was impacted more (on the course) than McIlroy, who was hitting some incredible form in March of last year.

Now, in 2021, the five-time major champ looks set to make a similar run. Six of his last seven Tour appearances have yielded Top-20 finishes, albeit without a win.

This run of form – combined with the fact that he's the current holder of this title – makes Rory our top pick for the 2021 THE PLAYERS Championship.

He's due for a dub and with majors season on the horizon, there's no better way for him to get his 2021 going than with a win at one of his favorite courses.

Check out the highlights from his 2019 victory here👇

💰 Value Bet:

Xander Schauffele (+1900 or 19/1)

Bet $10, win $190

One of the most talented golfers on the planet, Xander Schauffele has been pegged by many as the guy to take the golf world by storm in the next few years.

A four-time winner on Tour, Xander is yet to break through for a major victory, despite seven Top-10's and, although this isn't a major, it would still be a huge victory for the 27-year-old.

Included in Xander's four wins are victories at the Tour Championship and Sentry Tournament of Champions, which proves just how comfortable he is in a top class field like we have this week!

Check out the highlights from his last win below👇

Keen to tail? Check out the best sportsbooks in your state.

🔮 Dark Horse:

Tommy Fleetwood (+4000 or 40/1)

Bet $10, win $400

Amazingly, this guy has never won in either a US or PGA Tour event. But his time is coming!

Fleetwood has, of course, won EIGHT professional events, as he has spent a lot of his professional career on the European Tour. But that doesn't mean the 30-year-old isn't desperate to get his first PGA title.

So far in 2021, he has played three European Tour events and two PGA events, with his best results coming at the Abu Dhabi Championship and last week's Arnold Palmer Invitational.

Fleetwood is playing some very tidy golf right now and at 40/1, his odds are simply too good to pass up this week.

Check out the highlights from his most recent win here👇

2021 Dark Horse record:

Sungjae Im @ Sentry TOC – T5 (Top 5)
Marc Leishman @ Sony Open – T4 (Top 5)
Cameron Champ @ AmEx – CUT
Corey Conners @ Farmers – T37
Jason Day @ Phoenix – CUT
Harold Varner @ Pebble – CUT
Cameron Smith @ Genesis – 4th (Top 5)
Collin Morikawa @ WGC Workday – WIN
Marc Leishman @ AP Invitational – CUT

As you can see, we've now had four dark horses place in the Top-5 this season (including an outright winner!!), rewarding bettors big time as we always recommend playing these guys to finish Top-20, Top-10 and Top-5 as well as an outright win!

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