Home / Sports / TPC Sawgrass: Model's Shocking Players Champ Picks Revealed
TPC Sawgrass: Model's Shocking Players Champ Picks Revealed
11 Mar
Summary
- The Players Championship purse has reached $25 million this year.
- SportsLine's model simulates the tournament 10,000 times.
- The model predicts Xander Schauffele will barely make the top 10.
The 2026 Players Championship is set to begin at TPC Sawgrass, boasting a significant $25 million purse, making it the unofficial fifth major on the PGA Tour. Scottie Scheffler is the favorite at +480, followed by Rory McIlroy and Collin Morikawa. Other contenders include Si Woo Kim, Ludvig Aberg, Russell Henley, and Tommy Fleetwood.
A proprietary model from SportsLine, which has a proven track record of success including nailing 16 majors, simulated the 2026 Players Championship 10,000 times. A notable surprise from these simulations is the prediction that Xander Schauffele may not perform as expected, barely making the top 10 and being a golfer to potentially 'fade' this week.
In contrast, Ludvig Aberg is identified as a significant value. After a slow start to the season, Aberg has shown improved performance, with his recent T3 finish at the Arnold Palmer Invitational indicating readiness to contend. The model also identifies four additional golfers with odds of +3000 or higher who are predicted to make a strong run.
