Betting: PGA Players Championship Preview
Minty Bets is joined by Pamela Maldonado and the Action Network's Jason Sobel to give their top picks for the The Players Championship from TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.
Video Transcript
MINTY BETS: Players championship is this weekend in Florida. I'm Minty Bets, and joining me is Pam Maldonado and Action Network's, Jason Sobel. Guys, Jon Rahm, Collin Morikawa, and Justin Thomas are the top three favorites to win this. Pam, are you looking at these three players to win outright, or are you looking at someone else?
PAM MALDONADO: It's unfortunate that you listed them off because two of them I am actually backing for an outright win. I absolutely love Justin Thomas this week. If I was forced to pick just one player, I'm rolling with Thomas. I think people maybe are hesitant to pick him because he did win this tournament last year, but he's absolutely great off the tee. He has a great iron shot, and he's greater on the green. The exact formula that could go back-to-back, something that has not happened in tournament history.
And like Morikawa, he has gained strokes in every category at the Genesis so far with his iron shots, which is typically his stronger part of his game. I love Justin Thomas this week, but I also do love Collin Morikawa. Either one comes out with the outright win. I like them both.
MINTY BETS: All right, and who are your picks for a top 20?
PAM MALDONADO: I'm going to roll with Xander Schauffele for a top 20 at plus 150. If you're giving me plus money on one of the better players in the field, one of the best players, they're all pretty good. Then I'm going to definitely take that as value. Schauffele's last win on tour was in 2019 at the Century, but you don't win until you do.
If you look at the best of the best fields, Xander, he has a T7 at the US Open, a T3 at the Masters, and T16 at the Northern Trust. He was cut in this event last year. But he has four top 20 finishes in his last five events, including a T3 at the Phoenix and T13 at the Genesis. What I love about Schauffele is he has a consistent all-around game, and there's not really one flaw that you can name to him. Definitely great value for a top 20 at plus 150.
MINTY BETS: I love that. All right, tossing things over to you, Jason. Who do you like to win outright?
JASON SOBEL: Yeah, so Minty, I'm with Pam in the Collin Morikawa play. I think that's a really smart play this week. Look, TPC Sawgrass is a course that tests every aspect of a player's game. Morikawa does everything really well, as evidenced by leading the PGA Tour in total strokes gained this season, also leads the all-around category. That's something I like to look at for players who are well-rounded, guys that do everything really well.
Throw in the fact that we're going to have basically every type of weather conditions here. It's going to be hot and dry, and then it's going to be wet, and then it's going to be cold, then it's going to be windy. I want a player that can deal with those conditions. Collin Morikawa. He's my favorite outright play this week.
MINTY BETS: All right, and give us a top 10 finish.
JASON SOBEL: Yeah, I'm going to give you a few of them just because I like to play a lot of props, Minty. So Daniel Berger, when last we saw him, he was blowing a 54 hole lead at the Honda Classic, but I still think he's got the game to stay in form and have a really good week. He's got a couple of top tens here in the past. I like him for another one this week.
Sungjae Im is another guy that plays some of his best golf in Florida, coming off a 20th place finish at the API last week. Matt Fitzpatrick, three top tens in a row. If the wind does indeed blow as much as we're thinking, it's going to as much as it's forecasted this weekend. It's going to be very difficult. He plays his best golf in difficult conditions and a little bit more of a flyer. Although really not a huge flyer.
Alex Noren with two top 20s in four starts at the Players Championship. I like him to post at least another top 20, if not a top 10.
MINTY BETS: All right. Thank you so much, guys. Brackets are here. Join Yahoo Sports Tourney Pick 'Em $25,000 Best Bracket Contest. Create a bracket for free and get a piece of the action. Sign up at yahoo.com/tourney.