The Florida swing remains in full effect on the PGA Tour with The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass up next. This par 72 underwent renovations to lengthen its distance and challenge golfers tee-to-green. Four inch rough and 13 foot Stimpmeter speeds on the Bermudagrass greens means accuracy off-the-tee and on approach is critical, while putting will remain difficult at a high-end velocity.
Scottie Scheffler is attempting the first-ever three-peat at The Players Championship following his historic back-to-back title defense in 2024 at TPC Sawgrass. Scheffler is once again the betting favorite at +400, followed by Rory McIlroy (+1100), Collin Morikawa (+1400), Luvdig Aberg (+1800) and Justin Thomas (+2200) to round out the top-five outright betting favorites.
I’ve got two longshot golfers to sprinkle on ahead of Round 1 on Thursday at the 2025 Players Championship. Follow me on X at Matt_MacKay_ for more free bets and weekly PGA Tour analysis.
2025 The Players Championship: Best Longshot Bets
These plays are .25u and .10u, or 0.25% and 0.10% of your betting bankroll. All odds via FanDuel Sportsbook.
Will Zalatoris (+8000)
Despite never carding a top-20 finish at TPC Sawgrass, I’m willing to bet half a unit on Will Zalatoris to get hot with his irons and contend for his second career PGA Tour win this week. Ranked 16th at finding greens in regulation, 44th in driving accuracy, 16th in putting average, fourth in par 4 scoring, and 26th in birdie average, there’s enough to like about Zalatoris at 80-1.
Zalatoris hasn’t competed since The Genesis Invitational nearly a month ago. He’s well rested and underrated by oddsmakers this week. He’ll need a strong start to contend during the weekend but I’m willing to invest a small amount on one of the PGA Tour’s most prolific young ball-strikers.
Andrew Novak (+17000)
Andrew Novak at 170-1 is a must-bet at TPC Sawgrass. He’s ranked 39th in proximity, and while the approach game hasn’t been consistent in 2025, there’s enough upside to back the 29-year-old American at this price.
Novak has a top-10 finish at the Farmers Insurance Open, navigating a difficult Torrey Pines South course for three of four rounds. He’s fluctuated between missed cuts and going T13 or better this season, so this longshot outright wager will either gain steam or lose quickly by the end of Round 2.
Previous finishes have not been kind to Novak, missing the cut in his last two appearances at TPC Sawgrass. However, a 0.10 unit sprinkle nets 17 units of profit if we see Novak get hot like he did at the Farmers Insurance Open in late January.
Matthew MacKay is a featured writer for BettingPros and FantasyPros. For more from Matthew, check out his archive and follow him @Matt_MacKay_.