Go for Zach at Sawgrass
Best Bets
0.75 Pts EW (1-7) Zach Johnson (66/1 Stan James)
0.5 Pts EW (1-6) Emiliano Grillo (160/1 Bet 365)
0.5 Pts EW (1-6) Bernd Wiesberger (200/1 Bet 365)
This week sees the best golfers in the world return to TPC Sawgrass for the Players Championship. In what some like to call the ‘5th major’ players will battle round the stadium course which is one of the most familiar venues on tour. The 17th hole at Sawgrass is perhaps the most famous in all of golf, where players will be looking to find dry land on the island green. This Pete Dye course has water everywhere and is penal both off the tee and on approach shots. The greens run fast and are undulating, and the rough around the greens plays thick. To put it simply the stadium course challenges all aspects of a player’s game.
The Stadium Course is a Par 72 layout that measures just over 7,200 yards. Although not the longest test on tour the course is protected by abundant water and driver isn’t always the choice off the tee. In terms of the kind of player that goes well here there aren’t any significant patterns. The key stat to focus on this week is greens in regulation which we will be using as one of our biggest selection aids. This hasn’t always been an event for market leaders and many outsiders have done well at this one.
In terms of the field 46 of the world’s top 50 tee it up this week. There are also a number of generous offers on from the bookmakers this week with Stan James paying quarter odds on the first seven places. Rickie Fowler goes off as defending champion this year after he had an unbelievable finish on Sunday last year. He came back from five shots behind in the last six holes and went on to win a playoff for his biggest win to date. After holding the lead after 54 holes last week at the Wells Fargo he will likely be well fancied this week. At the top of the market Rory McIlroy goes off favourite this week and perhaps deservedly so after his blistering Sunday performance last week. His record at The Players isn’t the best however and with we aren’t keen on him this week. Jordan Spieth also makes his first start since he blew the Masters and it will be interesting to see how he goes after such a huge setback. Anyway let’s get on to our selections for the week.
0.75 Pts EW (1-7) Zach Johnson (66/1 Stan James)
Our headline pick this week goes to Zach Johnson who hasn’t had his best stuff so far in 2016. This could be the ideal week for him to kick start his season however. Johnson has a great record at Sawgrass and his lack of length of the tee isn’t much of a factor at the stadium course. His ball striking has remained solid this year and he sits inside the top 50 on tour for greens in regulation. Johnson is a big time player and usually saves his best for the events with the best fields. Look for him to contend this week and 66/1 looks very generous given how much he loves this track.
0.5 Pts EW (1-6) Emiliano Grillo (160/1 Bet 365)
Our second pick this week goes to Emiliano Grillo who we backed at 66/1 when he won his first tour title towards the end of last year. Grillo will be on new ground this week, but his game fits for this week without a doubt. His ball striking is what makes him such a massive prospect on the tour and he sits inside the top 35 on
tour in greens in regulation. Although he didn’t set the world alight last week at the Wells Fargo he did get four rounds under his belt in his first start since his impressive top 20 at the Masters. We think a small play on Grillo is a good choice this week at massive odds and enhanced place terms.
0.5 Pts EW (1-6) Bernd Wiesberger (200/1 Bet 365)
Our final pick this week is Bernd Wiesberger who has been struggling with the putter of late. Wiesberger’s long game hasn’t suffered however and he sits inside the top ten on tour in greens in regulation. This might be the ideal week for Wiesberger as putting isn’t such a crucial factor as Sawgrass and he might be able to get away with an iffy putting week. Wiesberger has seen this course previously and missed the cut after a very poor opening round. He did manage to shoot a 68 in round two however so has shown he has the tools to make a good score at Sawgrass. At 200/1 and with 6 places on offer we couldn’t pass up on the chance to back him this week.