Golf’s unofficial fifth major — The Players Championship — begins Thursday at the historic TPC Sawgrass course in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.
Our experts — ESPN’s Anita Marks and Chris “The Bear” Fallica, Stats & Info’s David Gordon and deputy editor David Bearman — are here to give their best futures bets for the tournament.
Odds courtesy of Caesars Sportsbook as of Tuesday night.
Odds to win title
Rory McIlroy (7-1)
Bearman: I very rarely go with a favorite in golf, as there is way too much value in a field of 144 golfers. However, the world’s No. 1 player not only is the defending champ but also has three other top-10s here since 2013. Just as important is his current form. His 2019-20 season consists of the following finishes: T2, T3, win, T3, T5, fifth, T5. Rory leads the PGA Tour in scoring and par-5 scoring, is T2 in bogey avoidance and is second in driving distance. He’s hot at the right time.