This week the PGA Tour makes the short trek north to TPC Sawgrass for The Players Championship. This event has a different feel this year and that’s not just because of the absence of former PGA Tour turned LIV players. The last few years, The Players has been the first big event of the calendar year. Now it just doesn’t seem as big considering we have already had multiple designated events which have spoiled us with some great finishes. So what exactly are we in store for this week at The Players?
TPC Sawgrass is one of the best courses for watching tournament golf on TV, as massive leaderboard movement can occur. One shot, whether good or bad, can make or break a player’s week. The course doesn’t heavily favor one skillset over another, which is why we have seen many different types of players win this event such as Webb Simpson, Adam Scott, Rickie Fowler, Justin Thomas, and Rory McIlroy. The one thing that is needed this week is a strong mental game with the ability to know when to be aggressive and when to take your medicine and live for another hole. Let’s take a look at three players to target for DraftKings this week:
Jon Rahm $11,800
It feels weird typing this, but I believe Rahm goes under-owned this week on DraftKings. He is the highest priced player by $800 and burnt a bunch of people last week after they saw him lead after day one and then end up finishing 39th at Bay Hill. Meanwhile, everyone saw Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler in contention down to the 72nd hole. People may skip over Rahm for these reasons. But let’s look at the big picture. Rahm is currently on one of the best stretches of golf we have seen since Tiger back in 2000. Prior to last week, he finished eighth or better in 10 consecutive events, including five wins! Don’t overthink things this week: roster Rahm and watch him contend on Sunday.
Max Homa $9,900
Homa is the fourth best player on the PGA Tour. Yes I just said that. Sorry JT, Finau, Cantlay, Morikawa, etc. Homa has the best all-around game outside of the big three and that will allow him to linger on the front page of many leaderboards, especially at difficult events like The Players and major championships. In the last ten months, he has seven top-five finishes, including three wins. His demeanor and ability to grind out pars in difficult conditions should suit him well this week. Winning an event like The Players is the next step in his career.
Ben Griffin $7,100
If we want to roster top studs such as Homa and Rahm, then we will need to find some value towards the bottom. Look no further than Ben Griffin. He has quietly risen to 78th in the world, yet is a complete unknown to anyone but a diehard PGA Tour fan. He has made 11 of his last 12 cuts in his rookie season including nine finishes of 32nd or better. These consistent finishes are a result of Griffin’s game having no major holes in it. He is slightly above average in almost every metric. At $7,100, a made cut would more than pay off his salary and another top-32 finish would just be icing on the cake.